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.
|
