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Resorts/Facts and Figures

Japan is roughly the size of California but it stretches the length fromMexico to Canada creating a huge diversity in climates. It has a population of 130 million people, but 80% of them live in five major cities, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hiroshima, and Sapporo. Japan is made up of more than 1000 islands but the four main islands are Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, and Hokkaido, the northernmost island.  Over 80% of Japan is covered with mountains and it is possible to ski resorts as far south as Kyushu! In its heyday there were more than 700 resorts but that number is quickly dropping year after year as the Japanese recession continues (most of them were one lift ponies anyway).

Although Hokkaido is surrounded by water and the base of many of the resorts are only a few hundred meters above sea level, it produces some of the lightest and driest snow found anywhere on the planet. The reason for this?
Hokkaido is the first island that gets hit by the cold Siberian storms as the move eastward towards North America. Whistler just got dumped on you say? You mean they got
our leftovers form last week!
The quality of the snow will shock you and averages of 15 meters a year will all but guarantee you get the goods. Unlike other big snow areas where the snow comes in big dump cycles, dumps a meter and then won’t snow for a week, in Niseko it just doesn’t stop snowing and snowing and snowing. And that may sound like a problem with low visibility. Luckily they also have some of the world’s best resort lighting and by far the best night powder snow in the world.
If you have a look on snowjapan.com and read the reports, you can see that it averaged between 10-30cms almost daily last January. Pro skiers JP Auclair and Chris Benchetler claimed their best powder trip of their lives, checkout Poorboyz Productions “Reasons” for the proof. The entire segment was filmed with Black Diamond Tours in Niseko and Rusutsu.

Resorts

We have rode them all and have hand picked the best resorts in HokkaidoNiseko Village aka Higashiyama or simply “the gash”
What can I say, it's our home mountain. Even before we started the BD Lodge, we mainly rode Higashiyama's in bounds powder. Higashiyama offers the steepest and best lift accessed runs on the entire mountain. It sits in the middle of the three Niseko United resorts with Annupuri to the (skiers) right and Hirafu to the left. All three resorts link together at the top, and share the same free passport. It's a much better place to start your day and avoid the crowds that Hirafu is becoming notorious for. Rumors are that the Mizu-no-sawa area located directly under the Niseko Gondola will officially open up for the 08/09 season!! This ungroomed powder bowl has some of the very best fall lines n Niseko (but I wouldn’t know).

Rusutsu
Mellow powder and long wide runs make Rusutsu a definite must if you visit the Niseko area for a few days. It's a huge, well run area consisting of several gondolas and covered quads which access endless tree runs and natural kickers. This is one resort where a guided tour is highly recommended as it one can quite easily get lost and/or stuck in the deep powder.

Kuro-dake
This isn't a resort, it's a mountain, and as such it needs to be respected. The area consists of one bad-ass 101 passenger tram and a relatively flat double chair. Basically there are two beginner runs and a mother load of b/c options. There are no ski patrol to either help you or yell at you, so you need to be prepared. Again, this is a resort that is best done with a mountain guide, and a good set of lungs because for the ultimate run, there's an hour and a half hike involved to the peak. This area is also famous for hot springs and ice climbing. We just opened up our newest and gnarliest lodge, the Black Mountain Lodge Check out www.kurodakelodge.com for more info.

Sapporo Kokusai
As much as I diss this place, I have to admit, it's pretty good, especially in the early season. Kokusai is "the” place to see and be seen and a lot of local rippers call this their home mountain. They have a well maintained terrain park, and receive as much powder as Niseko. Great Powder lines can be found directly under the gondolas and if you're into hiking, there are some fun b/c runs to be found skiers right as well.

Teine
There's not much I'm allowed to say about Teine. All I will say is that little resort has kept me here 6 years, and I'm still convinced it's the best. The resort has a very down home feel to it, the locals are friendly and it's only 40 minutes from downtown Sapporo. If you're a beginner or intermediate skier, you might get bored due to the limited amount of runs. But if you're fit and good enough to handle the traverses and the intensity of the "Tenie Hustleî, it'll blow your mind how much gnarly shizz one lift can access. The two terrain parks are definitely worth mentioning as well. Big hits, beautiful backdrops, and excellent maintenance.
 
Furano
Furano has a very close feel to the resorts found in the interior British Columbia area of Canada. There are great steep treed and open sections and more than a few hitz to spin off. If it weren't for the "nazi" ski patrol which Furano seems to pride itself on, this resort would be in my top three for sure. That said, if you know how to work the resort (circuit style and quick like a ninja), you'll stay one step ahead of the fuzz and be balls deep all day.

Sahoro (club med) and Tomamu
Sahoro and Tomamu are actually two different resorts but if you make this three hour drive due east of Sapporo, you'd be silly not to hit them both. It's a short 20 minute drive between these two resorts and if you go, make sure you have a car, because you'll need them to get back from the sick b/c runs. Although these resorts receive less than half the snow Niseko does, temperatures stay cold, it's usually sunny and the backcountry can remain untouched for weeks after a dump. The backcountry access is fairly straight forward, but a guided tour will ensure you have a pick-up driver and don't end up in the wrong drainage.

 
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Black Diamond Lodge Higashiyama 24-3, Niseko-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido, Japan. + 81-136-44-1144