Japan 23/24 Season

[Pinned]

Turns out we get in too late on Sunday to rent a car from Shin Chitose airport. Ended up renting a Subaru Levorg from Nippon at Sapporo Station. I think with that + parking + gas and other fees I'll be in for $600 total. But, I feel pretty relieved to not be reliant on ski buses.

[Dromond]

$600/week for a Subaru seems like a good deal

[boltonoutlaw]

Heard that the Moiwa Niseko Quad failed yesterday and required evac

[muted reborn]

I'm leaving tomorrow and my last 5 days are open of a two week trip. Originally I was going to see what I liked the first week and decide what to do, or do new-to-me resorts around Sapporo before leaving - but now I'm thinking 2 weeks of meadow skipping easy terrain is too much. Should I just suck it up and do Niseko + Rusutsu (I was very much trying to avoid crowds and Ikoners) or go to some less-travelled resort in North Honshu via train, if they have interesting terrain, then come back via train to fly out of Chitose?

What are the odds of a last minute call to do some fun backcountry skiing with a guide anywhere on Hokkaido- are they generally booked in advance and I would be relying on lucky timing to get one?

Thanks!

[zion zig zag]

I'm leaving tomorrow and my last 5 days are open of a two week trip. Originally I was going to see what I liked the first week and decide what to do, or do new-to-me resorts around Sapporo before leaving - but now I'm thinking 2 weeks of meadow skipping easy terrain is too much. Should I just suck it up and do Niseko + Rusutsu (I was very much trying to avoid crowds and Ikoners) or go to some less-travelled resort in North Honshu via train, if they have interesting terrain, then come back via train to fly out of Chitose?

What are the odds of a last minute call to do some fun backcountry skiing with a guide anywhere on Hokkaido- are they generally booked in advance and I would be relying on lucky timing to get one?

Thanks!

HA, you didn’t mention this at all on the lift Sunday. Good for you man, I hope you have a blast.

[zion zig zag]

I'm leaving tomorrow and my last 5 days are open of a two week trip. Originally I was going to see what I liked the first week and decide what to do, or do new-to-me resorts around Sapporo before leaving - but now I'm thinking 2 weeks of meadow skipping easy terrain is too much. Should I just suck it up and do Niseko + Rusutsu (I was very much trying to avoid crowds and Ikoners) or go to some less-travelled resort in North Honshu via train, if they have interesting terrain, then come back via train to fly out of Chitose?

What are the odds of a last minute call to do some fun backcountry skiing with a guide anywhere on Hokkaido- are they generally booked in advance and I would be relying on lucky timing to get one?

Thanks!

HA, you didn’t mention this at all on the lift Sunday. Good for you man, I hope you have a blast.

[muted reborn]

HA, you didn’t mention this at all on the lift Sunday. Good for you man, I hope you have a blast.

I wanted to surprise you with a nice Kimono from Japan, now I can't.

[bobinch]

I'm leaving tomorrow and my last 5 days are open of a two week trip. Originally I was going to see what I liked the first week and decide what to do, or do new-to-me resorts around Sapporo before leaving - but now I'm thinking 2 weeks of meadow skipping easy terrain is too much. Should I just suck it up and do Niseko + Rusutsu (I was very much trying to avoid crowds and Ikoners) or go to some less-travelled resort in North Honshu via train, if they have interesting terrain, then come back via train to fly out of Chitose?

What are the odds of a last minute call to do some fun backcountry skiing with a guide anywhere on Hokkaido- are they generally booked in advance and I would be relying on lucky timing to get one?

Thanks!

Do you have touring gear?

[muted reborn]

Yes.

[zion zig zag]

I wanted to surprise you with a nice Kimono from Japan, now I can't.

Oh, I’ll be surprised.


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[bennymac]

How are things in the Hakuba backcountry these days? Pondering Lotus 120s vs lighter weight 106width setup for next week

[JoeStrummer]

How are things in the Hakuba backcountry these days? Pondering Lotus 120s vs lighter weight 106width setup for next week

Grim.

You would not be underskied with the 106s given current state of affairs (sun and warm, now rain.)120s seem. . . optimistic. Maybe next week something cold and big will develop to heal things up some but I am evacuating to Osaka to drink and eat.

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[bennymac]

Ugg ok thanks Enjoy Osaka! Maybe we’ll go see the onsen monkeys if it’s too gross to ski.

[powholic]

I'm leaving tomorrow and my last 5 days are open of a two week trip. Originally I was going to see what I liked the first week and decide what to do, or do new-to-me resorts around Sapporo before leaving - but now I'm thinking 2 weeks of meadow skipping easy terrain is too much. Should I just suck it up and do Niseko + Rusutsu (I was very much trying to avoid crowds and Ikoners) or go to some less-travelled resort in North Honshu via train, if they have interesting terrain, then come back via train to fly out of Chitose?

What are the odds of a last minute call to do some fun backcountry skiing with a guide anywhere on Hokkaido- are they generally booked in advance and I would be relying on lucky timing to get one?

Thanks!

Less crowds go North from CTS. Furano, Asahaidake. If going south Kiroro.

Niseko and Rusutsu not far off from LCC. Ikon and epic.

Moiwa sneaker quad fun.

[JoeStrummer]

Onsen monkeys > rain crust

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[GravityDT]

Arguably one of the finer pocket snacks along with the sushi/rice triangles. Could really go for one of these….

[bobinch]

Yes.

We did some great touring with https://www.furanoadventuretours.com/ both using lifts in Furano and then driving far from the usual spots, fully touring. There are also some nice faces in Asahidake available with a short tour (and epic conditions at the moment). Further South there are some easy accessed faces in Kiroro with short tours that donÂ’t see much traffic. Sapporo Kokusai also worth a look. In Niseko the lift accessed stuff back to town was busy but there is a nice short tour accessed route off the top lift to the Gosheki onsen and Iwaonapuri tour (need good viz) and many routes on Mount Yotei. We didnÂ’t go to Rusutsu so no idea there. Your plan to follow the snowfall is what I would do (although note that Asahidake where we had the best snow was massively underreported when we were there). Kiroro hit nuked but it was Japoridge rather than Japow - watch the temps!

[eSock]

Arguably one of the finer pocket snacks along with the sushi/rice triangles. Could really go for one of these….

Those were my favorite snack during our trip. My partner was obsessed with the ham and cheese sliders from Lawsons. Damn I miss konbini food.

[SUPERIOR]

Anyone hitting Niseko and Rusutsu this season should be prepared for big lines and sometimes frustrating experiences.

Just like any major NA resort, this has become about timing. Go early and get in line! Most folks here don’t.



Niseko gates rarely open in big storms, so waiting for the day or two after has become quite a challenge.

OTOH, I skied some rad wind buff off the peak of Niseko a couple days ago. It’s all about your perspective, baby!



In other news, I was at Kiroro last weekend, and it was mobbed as well. Not a super cool experience.

The Niseko area has had an average season, so folks here are having major powder fever.

Pics from the cat skiing operation I’m working at in Shimamaki:








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[CascadeCrudSkier]

How are things in the Hakuba backcountry these days? Pondering Lotus 120s vs lighter weight 106width setup for next week

I haven't been out since last week and it hasn't really snowed since the 26th. It was supposed to snow a bit last night but it seems to have mostly been rain all the way to the top of the resorts. The forecast looks pretty bleak until the 12th, hopefully you're sticking around until the week after next. Otherwise focus on onsens and eating. If it's warm you can often find monkeys at the southern end of the Hakuba valley right off the highway, it's much closer than driving up to Shiga Kogen to see the ones running around the village off the river. Less photographic though.

I think you're committed to your itinerary but if you can shift to Hokkaido then I'd really look into that, it's been having a much better year than Hakuba this season. If not then shoganai, make the best of it and go explore up high and see if you can find some stashes of decent snow.

[bennymac]

Thanks for the beta! Yeah our luck has us in Hakuba until the 11th and then back to NA. We have a knowledgeable guide who is familiar with the area so we’re in good hands and hopefully can find some stashes.

Regardless- it’s Japan and it’s skiing and it’s a vacation so we’re stoked. The last time I was there a dozen years ago we hit some low tide conditions so we took advantage of the beer vending machines. That last run down I think I had my eyes closed the majority of the time.

[eSock]

Japan Ski Tours - Indy Pass 8-Day Tour Review

Itinerary:
The tour optimizes skiing time across the Iwate/Akita regions, providing seven days on the slopes, spanning four resorts on the Indy Pass. Additionally, participants have the option to explore one non-Indy Pass resort. Travel between locations is comfortable with a private bus, and the distances are manageable. Two special dinners add cultural enjoyment to the itinerary.

Lodging:
Each accommodation for this trip was a cool experience. All were very clean and well suited to skiers with space to dry/hang stuff and usually ski storage. They transitioned from very Western (full ensuite bathroom, big beds, normal flooring) to a very Traditional Ryokan (futon beds, tatami mat floors, private toilet/sink but shared bathing [onsens]). As a tall guy, the traditional Ryokan was the most difficult having to duck a lot and not being very comfortable on the smaller futons, but otherwise every spot had everything needed and warmed toilet seats with bidets at every spot was great.

Each one had gendered onsens for post-ski relaxation. There’s a bit of decorum and expectations around onsens that the guides tried to explain, and I think we mostly all got it, but I did see some people bring beers into the onsen and dipping their towels into the water which were big no-nos, so pay attention and do your best to follow the guidelines. You’re expected to shower off first before in, like fully shower, not just rinse like you might expect w/ hot tubbing, so getting used to the very public showering space was new but nothing too wild.

Some of the hotels have game/karaoke rooms if you wanna have some fun during your down time. We had a great drink-filled karaoke night and shut down the game room another night.

Meals:
2 of the 3 hotels had buffet style dining rooms for breakfast and dinner. This allowed you to get all the food you could possibly want and also provide a huge array of options from western options to traditional. The third hotel served a set meal of more traditional foods, so we didn’t always know or love what we were eating, but there was plenty to choose from. You were on your own for lunch, but each resort had a great cafeteria area with at least a few options (ramen was king but also usually had curry, katsu, udon, and other hearty dishes) for really great prices. Most of our ski hill meals were <$10 for food and a beer.

Resorts:
Now to the good stuff. I’ll preface this with the notion that the snow can really impact the enjoyment of these resorts. They are not big resorts so the ones we enjoyed the most were the ones we hit right after a big storm. The ones that weren’t as fun, were the days we were dealing with snain, icy and cement snow. One thing to also note is that some of these resorts are more traditional and expect patrons to stick to the groomed courses. They groom almost everything they can and the terrain isn’t going to be the most challenging in general with most hills maxing out at 30-35“ slopes. Thankfully they’ve progressed a bit and also offer some clearly defined tree run areas, but areas like under ski lifts and most trees are considered off limits.

Your first stop is at Hachimantai Mountain, which has 2 ski areas - Shimokura and Panorama. However, you can also opt to go to Appi Kogen which is only about 30min away, and although it’s not on the Indy Pass, it’s only about $30 for a day pass. We wanted to see all Japow had to offer so we decided to hit up Appi Kogen first. It’s a more “high end” resort with a gondola and pretty big compared to the other resorts we would see. It has a wide variety of groomed courses, and even has 2 ungroomed runs. We checked out the ungroomed runs and enjoyed some soft choppy snow. We also skied a few runs under the Sailer Quad, which was a lot of fun and wasn’t ventured to by many people besides us crazy foreigners. We tried going under the lifts in the Central area but got yelled at by lift ops that area was off limits. There was also a cat ski area where you can pay like $20-30a ride up 900m to a special area and ski that, unfortunately not available on weekends, but you can skin up if you so desire. Overall it was a nice intro to the soft, fluffy snow we would hopefully encounter the whole trip, despite it not having snowed for a few days prior.

The next day we checked out the Hachimantai offerings. Panorama is the “ski in ski out” area located right next to the hotel. It was the least exciting and I probably wouldn’t spend a day there unless you’re a beginner. It’s very small and very mellow. We tried crossing over to an untouched (ok…maybe closed) run at the end of the day after a big storm on our way back from Shimokura and it wasn’t steep enough with the powder to actually go down the run...probably why they closed it. Shimokura, on the other hand, was a blast. We went there the morning after a big storm dropped at least a foot of new snow and despite the forecast calling for big winds, we ran into perfect conditions. There were a handful of locals, a bunch of military on fishscale skis walking up and going down, trying to learn to ski or something, and then there was us. Maybe 50 ppl on this hill. We ended up lapping the main run next to the highest lift several times just because it was such a good time and it took hours for it to get ‘tracked out’ if you could even call it that. They had a few specified tree areas, so we tried the ‘cruise’ course first which ended up being too mellow to really pick up enough speed with the powder and have any fun. It did lead us to the “edge” tree run which was better but short and not very easy to get to. “Drop” was closed unfortunately but looked really promising if you get the chance. After the disappointment of Cruise we weren’t sure the tree areas were worth doing but we ended up trying out the ‘fun’ course right before lunch and found it was completely untouched and had perfectly spaced trees and enough steepness to really live up to its name. We ended up putting off lunch just to do a few more untouched runs before realizing there was no need to milk it before going in since it would remain untouched after lunch too. We spent most of our day in those two areas and with fresh snow, absolutely no regrets.

We headed out for the next hotel in the morning, but first we stopped at Okunakayama Kogen for a day of skiing along the way. This resort still had tons of fresh snow from the previous day's dump and the top lift offered a variety of ways down in either ungroomed runs or treed or under lift sections that provided untouched pow most of the way down. We kept to the trend of finding the highest lift and lapping whatever untouched snow was nearby. There was no competition and we were able to get fresh lines most of the day. One area that felt like finding a hidden gem was following the ridge lookers left all the way to where it turns into a run, and then going into the trees off to skiers right. It was a little sunbaked by the time we found it but it was also untouched and allowed for a lot of continuous turns through nicely spaced trees on moderate slopes. If you follow it too long you won’t make it back to the lifts though, so finding a good exit point is key to that area.

Our second stay was near the Tazawako Kogen where we got to ski for 2 days. By the time we got there, temps were rising and no new snow had fallen. Despite all that, we still followed our plan - take the highest lift and look for the goods. We found the trees weren’t really delivering but the ungroomed sides of the runs were still mostly untouched and we managed to have some fun despite the weather. It was rapidly getting more wet, sticky snow so most folks didn’t go for a full day though. This area made us realize how important having fresh snow was to a trip like this to smaller indy resorts where the terrain itself isn’t too exciting. I ended up renting some skinny skis just to preserve my knees from trying to ski groomers on the 126mm skis I brought.

Our final destination was Geto Kogen. This resort was on par w/ Appi Kogen size wise. It also had several designated tree run areas, some fun steeper courses and two gondolas. However, the wet trend continued and we ended up with icy conditions which meant all the tree runs were closed. It at least warmed/softened up a little the second day but off piste was still a no go. Again went with demoed skis and casually enjoyed the groomed runs and long lunches. Would love to see this resort on a pow day but alas, wasn’t in the cards this time.

[eSock]

Summary: JST takes care of all the logistics for you for a week so you can focus on skiing, relaxing, and eating amazing meals. You get 3 hotels and up to 5 resorts over your trip. Transportation between hotels, to and from the ski resorts, along with lodging and breakfast/dinner are all included in this trip for a very reasonable price.

Final Thoughts:
One thing I got confused by reviews was the “guided” aspect of this. The guides that are with you on the indy pass trip are there to keep things running smoothly but there are no guides showing you around the mountain like some of the reviews allude to, which I think are referencing their Storm Chasers trips. I was hoping they’d be able to show us cool spots on the mountain, but honestly with the size of the mountains and a little sense of adventure, you should be able to find all the gems pretty quickly. The side/backcountry options are also fairly limited, Japan is not big on that and without anyone guiding you to the worthwhile spots, it’s not as accessible as I’d hoped.

There was a lot of hemming and hawing from myself on what ski to bring. I ended up going full bore and ordered some new Moment Ghost Trains just for the occasion. On the powder days they were an absolute blast and definitely highlights of the season. On the bad days, they were a lot of work and I was glad I could still rent skinny skis (although they only had lengths up to 180cm) or just take some time off. If I was going on a storm chaser trip where everything was off the beaten path and groomers were less likely an option, behemoth “japow” skis would be great. For the indy trip where you’re going to be at smaller groomer-focused ski resorts and more at the mercy of weather, I might suggest something more versatile that you won’t hate if you do get skunked.

The group dynamic ended up being great, you could socialize as much or as little as you wanted and ski with your own crew or link up if you wanted but there was no pressure either way. I believe they cap the trip at 20 people, and our group had 14. A variety of couples, buddies, and gangs.

The dollar to yen conversion has been favorable lately so the trip was very affordable - about $1850/person. I don’t think I’ve seen any japan trips offering anything quite as affordable, especially for all that’s packed into it.

Overall this was a very worthwhile trip even with the lack of snow we dealt with. The accommodations were great, the food was amazing and plentiful, the resorts offered a close-knit camaraderie with your fellow patrons, sharing the stoke and goods instead of fighting for fresh lines, and the JST staff were super helpful and attentive, making sure all our needs were met and we were all having a great time without having to think too much. We did a week exploring Tokyo prior to this and I was so happy to just sit back and relax without thinking about where we were going next, how we were gonna get there, or what we were going to do anymore.

[m2711c]

Did you try the onsen at Okunakayama? That electric bath was quite tingly!

[CascadeCrudSkier]

Thanks for the beta! Yeah our luck has us in Hakuba until the 11th and then back to NA. We have a knowledgeable guide who is familiar with the area so we’re in good hands and hopefully can find some stashes.

All may not be lost. There's a system moving through on Monday the 5th that seems odd for Japan, it's a low moving up from the south but it's not that warm. It may fall as rain in the village but should be snow up high. However, since it's moving the opposite direction from normal it looks like Hakuba will get the least amount of precip while the peaks on the other side of the Alps should get more and better snow. If your guide has wheels and is up for driving I'd ask about touring or lift accessed adventures over near the Nagano/Gifu border. Mount Norikura (not Hakuba Norikura), Hirayu Onsen, etc. are tiny little Japanese areas that have fun terrain but usually don't get as much snow. However, they're going to get that storm much more than Hakuba will and it'll stay cold enough for the rest of the week that the snow will stay nice. Worth checking if you're not impressed w/ what falls in Hakuba. The downside is you have to drive all the way down into Matsumoto and then it's another hour plus to get to those areas.

Since there's no risk of Hirayu Onsen blowing up as a destination, here's some free beta. You'll be the only gaijin guaranteed. If you end up over there you can take the main lift to the top, then skin up the ridge 30 minutes and access some really steep fun terrain down the opposite side of the mountain from the ski area. At the bottom you'll follow the river out and eventually hit a road that you can skin up to drop you back into the ski area. Check out the castle in Matsumoto on your way back to Hakuba that afternoon / evening.