Hokkaido Japan; Central Hokkaido or Niseko

[alfajores]

Nice...I booked SFO to CTS for $800. Feb 25 thru March 5. Heading up to Furano and hitting as many spots as possible too.

We will be in Hokkaido/Sapporo around that time frame.

Any beta on the Mt Yotei ski touring? I saw a mountain on the map called Ranger Mountain. Any info on that terrain?

[myles long]

I dont have any info on that area, never been there. This is my first trip...have a guide for 7 days of skiing so he will be able to sort it out.

We will be in Hokkaido/Sapporo around that time frame.

Any beta on the Mt Yotei ski touring? I saw a mountain on the map called Ranger Mountain. Any info on that terrain?

[SUPERIOR]

My best advice is tour up the east/southeast side of Yotei. There’s a forest park that serves as the trailhead. Ask around. It’s fairly easy on stormy days to lap the lower trees on that mountain, but sunny days will be a madhouse, including parking.

Go early, avoid the large avalanche gullies, and don’t ski the upper mountain in bad weather.


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[SUPERIOR]

Crater laps in Yotei on a sunny day is one of my favorite memories. However, I have been skunked 2 out of 3 times on summiting.


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[climberevan]

Excellent advice on Yotei. I've been to the top a couple of times, but also been stormed out more than once. There is decent skiing on it, and it's easy to avoid the large groups, but it's also really easy to end up way far from your car if you just whoop it up down some random gully. DAMHIK

Don't believe the tour companies' scare tactics about it. Just park at a trailhead and go uphill. If you're fit you should be able to get up it in a couple of hours. The crater lap is very short and not often in good shape, but if you get lucky it will be amazing.

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[El Chupacabra]

Questions on using the Black Cat (takkyubin) baggage transport service:

1) from the company's website, it says you have to purchase and place your skis in a special "bag cover." Will a typical 2-pair ski bag with wheels fit in one of those? Or do you need to use that bag cover if your skis are already in their own luggage?
http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/.../services/ski/

2) can you ship your skis ahead, and will Black Cat hold them for you? Or is it generally OK to ship ahead to a hotel for storing them until you arrive? We're thinking that we'll sightsee around for a week at first, and it would be convenient to be able to land at the Tokyo airport, hand off the ski bags to Black Cat, then collect them a week later in Hokkaido.

[SUPERIOR]

Email Black Diamond Lodge and ask that question. I know they use that company a lot


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[BFD]

Questions on using the Black Cat (takkyubin) baggage transport service:

1) from the company's website, it says you have to purchase and place your skis in a special "bag cover." Will a typical 2-pair ski bag with wheels fit in one of those? Or do you need to use that bag cover if your skis are already in their own luggage?
http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/.../services/ski/

2) can you ship your skis ahead, and will Black Cat hold them for you? Or is it generally OK to ship ahead to a hotel for storing them until you arrive? We're thinking that we'll sightsee around for a week at first, and it would be convenient to be able to land at the Tokyo airport, hand off the ski bags to Black Cat, then collect them a week later in Hokkaido.

last time I used them I just handed them my ski bag no extra cover needed. They have a contact on their site. I would contact them with your questions. Everything is easier than you think. Even Yotei where you will be lucky to get out of site of another skier on a nice day.
Superior do you really download Kurodake?

[SUPERIOR]

I think we might be confusing each other. You ride the tram at Kurodake, then skin up to the peak from the top station. I’d ski the whole damn thing, but wouldn’t skin from the very bottom. That would suck!


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[Any]

Questions on using the Black Cat (takkyubin) baggage transport service:

1) from the company's website, it says you have to purchase and place your skis in a special "bag cover." Will a typical 2-pair ski bag with wheels fit in one of those? Or do you need to use that bag cover if your skis are already in their own luggage?
http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/.../services/ski/

2) can you ship your skis ahead, and will Black Cat hold them for you? Or is it generally OK to ship ahead to a hotel for storing them until you arrive? We're thinking that we'll sightsee around for a week at first, and it would be convenient to be able to land at the Tokyo airport, hand off the ski bags to Black Cat, then collect them a week later in Hokkaido.

yeah you basically rock up at airport, dump your bags, tour n shit.
jp tourism is already targeting you. they have a "Japan: Hands-Free Travel" promo n everything. https://www.jnto.go.jp/hands-free-travel/

1) ive never had to use a special bag/etc for my stuff. i often ship my 190cm double ski bag and normal luggage bag. they just attach little labels to them.
like 5000 yen for 2 bags from tokyo to hokkaido.
black cat in narita are open until not long after whatever the latest flight is. but you may have to use a credit card, they wouldnt take cash after 10pm.
dont need to know any japanese, just your hotel address and phone number.

2) you can do both, you can schedule a delayed delivery and your accommodation will be happy to hold them for you for a day or two also.
id probably plan to get my bags at accom before i do and have them ready for you there, just in case delivery is delayed because they cant find the address (the addressing system in japan is whack).

[Mike Pow]

I think we might be confusing each other. You ride the tram at Kurodake, then skin up to the peak from the top station. I’d ski the whole damn thing, but wouldn’t skin from the very bottom. That would suck!


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+1

And there's a chair between the top of the tram and the start of the skin. It's not that far - distance or vertical metres - but better than skinning from the top of the tram.

The terrain below the tram is some of the best on Hokkaido if the conditions are good. Steep trees.

[NWFlow]

American living abroad (Europe) here heading to Japanuary for the first time this year. I have an American (Montana) driver's license. Have any US folks had trouble driving in Japan without an international driver's permit? Seems like we need one to rent a vehicle and would prefer to be a law-abiding citizen while there.

[Drazzamatazz]

Where should we base ourselves for the best access, Otaru or Sapporo? Going to meet up with a buddy/guide who has transportation. Also considering splitting time between the two just to see them.
We are in the maybe weird position of going for the skiing, but also not wanting to miss out on culture and sightseeing. We already have a tentative trip scheduled for next year as well, so we figure we can focus more on pure skiing that time if we feel we missed out.

[BFD]

+1

And there's a chair between the top of the tram and the start of the skin. It's not that far - distance or vertical metres - but better than skinning from the top of the tram.

The terrain below the tram is some of the best on Hokkaido if the conditions are good. Steep trees.

yes and this year according to this, https://www.rinyu.co.jp/kurodake/ the tram will be closed January 4, 2019 - March 15, 2019. so like I mentioned in the other thread the trail starts a couple of hundred yards past the shrine on the left.

[tripice351]

American living abroad (Europe) here heading to Japanuary for the first time this year. I have an American (Montana) driver's license. Have any US folks had trouble driving in Japan without an international driver's permit? Seems like we need one to rent a vehicle and would prefer to be a law-abiding citizen while there.

I don't think the rental companies will give you a car without an IDP. Not sure how it works in Yurp, but AAA will send IDP's in the mail

[NWFlow]

Great, that's what research had shown as well. I can get a IDP through AAA somehow. Thanks!

[Mike Pow]

yes and this year according to this, https://www.rinyu.co.jp/kurodake/ the tram will be closed January 4, 2019 - March 15, 2019. so like I mentioned in the other thread the trail starts a couple of hundred yards past the shrine on the left.

Check

[LSeed]

Wooo, Hokkaido! flying into Tokyo on the 8th and will be down till the 24th. Was planning on just renting a camper van and missioning around hokkaido for 2 weeks. That being said the company we were looking into Fuji Cars' seemed best, unlimited km's and reasonable rate, ran out of there dirtbag budget vans and now just have some pimpin expensive thing. i think roughly 2500cad for 14 days to rent it. Since we are planning on hitting some resorts as well as touring we are trying to see if we could just swing ski/stays for the first week or so. Any beta on good ones. Prefer to avoid Niseko and just stay in smaller zones. lots of info on Hotel's and lift tickets out there but no luck finding any decent packages. Cheers!

[SUPERIOR]

Wooo, Hokkaido! flying into Tokyo on the 8th and will be down till the 24th. Was planning on just renting a camper van and missioning around hokkaido for 2 weeks. That being said the company we were looking into Fuji Cars' seemed best, unlimited km's and reasonable rate, ran out of there dirtbag budget vans and now just have some pimpin expensive thing. i think roughly 2500cad for 14 days to rent it. Since we are planning on hitting some resorts as well as touring we are trying to see if we could just swing ski/stays for the first week or so. Any beta on good ones. Prefer to avoid Niseko and just stay in smaller zones. lots of info on Hotel's and lift tickets out there but no luck finding any decent packages. Cheers!

All the Japan threads are full of the info you seek on resort beta. However, it’s gonna be tough with no wheels. I’d suggest Furano area. Maybe contact a guide service and price it out.


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[Adrgha]

Recommended car rental at New Chitose? So far, Nippon rent-a-car is looking the best for a 4WD sedan.

[El Chupacabra]

Recommended car rental at New Chitose? So far, Nippon rent-a-car is looking the best for a 4WD sedan.

I'm wrapping up the remaining details for our Japan trip right now -- never been before, so YMMV --

I reserved our group a rental 4WD van from that company. Just under 60K Yen for 6 days, for a Toyota Sienta, which looks to be approximately like a Mazda 5 mini-minivan.

[El Chupacabra]

Other stuff I learned while making plans:

We are flying Japan Air Lines from Osaka to Sapporo (Chitose), and JAL has reasonable baggage allowances included in the ticket price -- except for ski bags. As best I could tell, any piece of baggage that is greater than 203cm linear is surcharged, and I found several comments online (Australian ski sites mostly) that the surcharge is something like $200 per bag. Each way.

Since -- earlier in the trip -- we will ship ski bags ahead to Hokkaido (Black Cat luggage transport), we only need to transport them back from Hokkaido to Tokyo for our return flight out of Narita. We are flying Jetstar from Sapporo Chitose to Tokyo Narita. Jetstar is an Australian airline that has super cheap flights ($45 USD one way for CTS-NRT), but then nickel-and-dimes you for everything in addition. After adding on everything -- maximum checked baggage, ski surcharge, etc -- the flight came to $112 USD one way. That was totally acceptable, because it means we can check the ski bags when flying, then store them (or check in, hopefully) at Narita for our return flight to the U.S. on the following day. We're doing this for the return to Tokyo because the Black Cat baggage service would take more time to transport the skis, which doesn't fit our schedule well.

[El Chupacabra]

Continued: cell phone coverage for Americans in Japan:

I have Google Fi, which has international roaming and data. Data is charged overseas at the same rate as domestic. The data charge maxes out at $60/mo, after which it doesn't cost any additional. I can use my phone as a hotspot for data while on the trip.

Also, Google Fi provides for additional data-only SIM cards, free. I ordered a couple, to see if they will work in Mrs C's Android phone and a friend's iphone. If so , then the others on my trip can use data on their own phones without having to be nearby and hotspot onto my phone.

I'm looking into how to make voice calls over the data-only service, assuming that Google doesn't lock that out somehow. I think I can use Facebook Messenger to do this. That way we can call each other if needed, while in Japan.

[TahoeJ]

Thanks for the info. Did you pre-arrange your Black Cat service or can you just do that at the airport?

[Adrgha]

I'm wrapping up the remaining details for our Japan trip right now -- never been before, so YMMV --

I reserved our group a rental 4WD van from that company. Just under 60K Yen for 6 days, for a Toyota Sienta, which looks to be approximately like a Mazda 5 mini-minivan.

Yeah, registering on their site enables a 30% off coupon, which makes them pretty cheap. The website is straight forward and easy to understand, and the English is good.

I'm just going with my GF, so I was thinking something like a Subaru Impreza would be suitable, but perhaps I should look for something cheaper. It has to be large enough to fit two ski bags, luggage and two persons, though.