Thread: SR: Hokkaido, Japan 2011 / 12

Opening day at Niseko Grand Hirafu tomorrow.

Glen Claydon and the boys at 360Niseko have been taking daily measurements since the first snow in the village on Monday 14 November.

http://360niseko.com/blog/category/daily-snow-reports/
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...1eHA3Ync#gid=0

106 cm (42") so far at village level (approx 300m)

13m to go

word up.. subscribing. I'll be in Niseko for 5 days in the end of January. Can't wait.

Mike, you back in Niseko for the season? if so looking forward to your pow stoke.

Thanks guys.

Arrive in Hirafu on 28 December. First day on snow 29 December.

Will be on Hokkaido until mid-March and hoping to put up as much as I can on the interweb.

Got quite a few new resorts and areas that I'd like to hit this winter.

Hopefully I can get the stokeometer whirring

Do you ever get in the sea Mike? Gower's been firing the last 5 weeks.

Originally Posted by Mike Pow

Thanks guys.

Arrive in Hirafu on 28 December. First day on snow 29 December.

Will be on Hokkaido until mid-March and hoping to put up as much as I can on the interweb.

Got quite a few new resorts and areas that I'd like to hit this winter.

Hopefully I can get the stokeometer whirring

Mate, you always bring the stoke. Glad you're back this year - the Hokkaido TR's have been tremendously lacking. Enjoy Hokkers for me! Would love to see more of Furano, so go do a little hiking for us

Originally Posted by Hayduke

Do you ever get in the sea Mike? Gower's been firing the last 5 weeks.

Only for doggie paddling. Would love to take some pics though. Let me know please.

Originally Posted by satori

Mate, you always bring the stoke. Glad you're back this year - the Hokkaido TR's have been tremendously lacking. Enjoy Hokkers for me! Would love to see more of Furano, so go do a little hiking for us

Thanks. Will do. Furano and Tokachidake are on the list. Amongst others

Hayduke, now you've stopped spunking your cash on consumer electrical gadgets, and swanky home furnishings it's time to dig deep, let's ski Japan.

Bad ol' Jim

As of Tuesday 06 December 2011

215 cm so far at village level in Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area (approx 300m asl)

http://360niseko.com/blog/category/daily-snow-reports/

Originally Posted by Mike Pow

As of Tuesday 06 December 2011
215 cm so far at village level in Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area (approx 300m asl)
http://360niseko.com/blog/category/daily-snow-reports/

Keep it coming!

I'll jump on this thread as I am looking for people to share an Hokkaido trip with mid February. I spent a few weeks there some years back and would like to take advantage of being in Korea for the year to score another quick trip there.

Anyone with some room to travel with / share budgets? Or even any couch surfing proposals? I'll gladly trade my house in Salt Lake in return I'd be very interested in giving the trip a more touring side too if I can although I still have found memories of Teine / Kokusai / Asahidake.

Originally Posted by Mike Pow

As of Tuesday 06 December 2011

215 cm so far at village level in Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area (approx 300m asl)

http://360niseko.com/blog/category/daily-snow-reports/

Not that it needs clarifying, but you mean 215cm cumulative, right?

Good to see you back in Niseko.

Yep.

Cumulative snowfall / total snowfall to date falling from the sky NOT compacted snow depth at village level.

Which is what I thought.

215cm is a significant number for so early. Niseko is a snow machine, so constant (insert compensatory flat joke here )

We've had cumulative 1cm, perhaps 2 at VB in Hakuba. So little activity I have not even bothered recording yet.

Yeah superb start in the Niseko Resort Area, and Hokkaido in general by all accounts.

http://japanskiexperience.com/2011/12/season-intro/

The tap has been turned on.

T -20 days

Great links Mike.

Only posting here to try to burn off some of the stoke that is building to dangerous levels, still several weeks from our Hokkaido trip! Will be Niseko (never been) 12/27 thru New Years Eve then returning to Tokachi, Ashahidake areas until 1/8.

As of Monday 12 December 2011

300 cm (118') so far at village level in Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area (approx 300m asl)

Latest report from 360 Niseko
http://360niseko.com/blog/snow-report_2011-12-12/

I can report from first hand experience that there was between 2 to 3 meters of settled base at the top of Asahikawa on Sunday and still snowing hard all day. Only in Japan could they the excuse of "not enough snow" for not opening the tram with that much of a base. I guess the upside is I get to add to my BC ratio of 14 days skinning and only one with a lift this season.

Oh, and it was BLOWER. I had almost forgotten about bottomless blower Hokkaido pow (although I wasn't as enthused about it when setting the skin track...)

Cool.

2100hrs: Raining at valley bottom in Hakuba. I think we've had, like, 15cm cumulative. 100+ above 2000m, but it is a long hike for marginal snow.

The only reason thats relevant in this thread is because I think starting next season I'm going to drive north and live in my van in Hokkaido for the first 3 weeks of December... and make it a ritual for as many seasons as it makes sense.

Originally Posted by StuntCok

I can report from first hand experience that there was between 2 to 3 meters of settled base at the top of Asahikawa on Sunday and still snowing hard all day. Only in Japan could they the excuse of "not enough snow" for not opening the tram with that much of a base. I guess the upside is I get to add to my BC ratio of 14 days skinning and only one with a lift this season.

Oh, and it was BLOWER. I had almost forgotten about bottomless blower Hokkaido pow (although I wasn't as enthused about it when setting the skin track...)

Great to hear.

Asahikawa as in Kamui? Or Asahidake?

Sorry, I meant Asahidake. We stayed in Asahikawa and skinned the closed Daisetsuzan on Sat (also blower but not as deep) and Asahikawa on Sunday. I daresay there is a lot of great looking sled skiing options in Hokkaido as the mountains aren't as tight as in the Kita Alps. I have seen many tracks in and around Hokkaido mountains but it only seems to be highmarkers, not skiers.

Thanks.

True that re: sled access. Massive sled scene in the Kiroro backcountry with very few skiers. Easy access right from the highway.

Thanks for the Asahidake report Stuntcok, they are hard to come by on the interweb. Daisetsuzan NP is "closed?"

Looks like in Niseko it has snowed every day in December except one. Keep the dumps coming, I want all the sasa covered up and mushrooms firing by Christmas!

Coming out to Hokkaido 1/26 to 2/5 with 5 friends, can't wait! Mammoth has been getting hosed so far this year and these weather updates are killing me right now. keep on snowing

Daisetsuzan is closed as in the lifts no longer run. I am told that they use the pistes for cat skiing in January.