Question Niseko - In March - Hire and Lift passes

[Nick Devereaux]

Quick question.
Is better to pre-book lift tickets and ski hire prior to getting to Niseko or due March being late in the season prices are discounted and better to buy on arrival?

 

[LMB]

Quick question.
Is better to pre-book lift tickets and ski hire prior to getting to Niseko or due March being late in the season prices are discounted and better to buy on arrival?

Buy on arrival unless you have a freaky large foot and will need specialist gear to rent.

Tickets do drop in price late March.
There is no advantage to pre purchasing them other than they’ll be waiting in your room instead of going to the ticket office (base of every lift).

There MAY be an advantage in pre booking ski lessons or tours, in that you secure the day/time and person/service that you want. However if you’re not fussy you could secure a lesson on very little notice at that time of the year.

A lot of accomodation providers offer the service of prebooking a gazillion add ons. That’s great if you want it, but it’s generally not necessary and not saving you much in time/effort nor money.

Even as an owner they hound me to ‘book now’ for all the add on services. Only one I’ve ever taken advantage of was a champagne, cheese and crackers basket when we were arriving late on a girls trip - was well appreciated but was not good financial value.

You’re at Shiki - good ski hire is literally a 3 minute walk away. Lift ticket office is about 5. ATM in your basement, Supermarket there too. Can not get more convenient.

 

[Nick Devereaux]

Buy on arrival unless you have a freaky large foot and will need specialist gear to rent.

Tickets do drop in price late March.
There is no advantage to pre purchasing them other than they’ll be waiting in your room instead of going to the ticket office (base of every lift).

There MAY be an advantage in pre booking ski lessons or tours, in that you secure the day/time and person/service that you want. However if you’re not fussy you could secure a lesson on very little notice at that time of the year.

A lot of accomodation providers offer the service of prebooking a gazillion add ons. That’s great if you want it, but it’s generally not necessary and not saving you much in time/effort nor money.

Even as an owner they hound me to ‘book now’ for all the add on services. Only one I’ve ever taken advantage of was a champagne, cheese and crackers basket when we were arriving late on a girls trip - was well appreciated but was not good financial value.

You’re at Shiki - good ski hire is literally a 3 minute walk away. Lift ticket office is about 5. ATM in your basement, Supermarket there too. Can not get more convenient.

Thanks so much. Great answer!

 

[sourmash]

Thanks so much. Great answer!

For tickets, LMB can probably attest, unless you really need all-mountain/everyday, multi-day passes, forward booking may not be the most affordable way to access the mountain. Some days you may just want 4 hours in the morning for Hirafu/Hanazono and save a lot compared to your pre-payed all-day all-mountain pass. And then there are down days, Rusutsu/Moiwa days etc.

For hire, it's a competitive market and not big differences in rates. Checking it out on the ground is probably best.

 

[LMB]

Sourmash is 100% right.

My kids arrive Sunday.
They’ve a month in Japan but because it’s broken up into a week in Hirafu, a week in Furano, another week in Hirafu and a week in Tokyo - with possible bc days and day trips to Rusutsu, Kiroro and Moiwa before you even add in bad weather, illness, injury or exhaustion - we are likely going to buy the tix day to day depending on what’s happening.

Others staying with us have done similar. Often a 4hr pass (or 3 or 5 depending on which resort, what the day is like and how the group is feeling) is just the right amount and the savings add up.

If you’re planning on skiing for huge hours each day regardless of conditions and staying put in Hirafu with no side trips then a multi day pass is a better option.

If you are here for a decent amount of time (3-4 weeks plus) and want flexibility to take days off or go elsewhere then a 30hr (Grand Hirafu only) or 50hr (Grand Hirafu OR All Mountain) Flexi pass might serve you better.

So many options!
And which combo works best for you is very personal. The beautiful thing here is you have choices.