The big Hakuba thread 2017/2018 - trip planning, trip reports, general musings about fried chicken
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Awesome result. Please say hi for me. Do the DBD course on your 1st day so you can use the gates just be VERY careful.
If you are near the Hakuba Railway Station drop by and say hi 
Arrived this morning on the direct train from Shinjuku, easy as! Dropped in to see @Lucky Pete for a coffee and a great run down of the area
Snow looks to continue tonight for a little powder day tomorrow
Looking a bit overcast on the camsArrived this morning on the direct train from Shinjuku, easy as! Dropped in to see @Lucky Pete for a coffee and a great run down of the area
Snow looks to continue tonight for a little powder day tomorrow
QUOTE="2ESki, post: 3478265, member: 67916"]Looking a bit overcast on the cams[/QUOTE]it's been snowing on and off since 2pm at Village level. Nothing too heavy but should be nice up high tomorrow early.
Wednesday still looks like a complete right off. Best Hakuba day trip to do on a down day?
it's been snowing on and off since 2pm at Village level. Nothing too heavy but should be nice up high tomorrow early.QUOTE="2ESki, post: 3478265, member: 67916"]Looking a bit overcast on the cams
Wednesday still looks like a complete right off. Best Hakuba day trip to do on a down day?[/QUOTE]
Matsumoto
Dont write Wednesday off yet.....
Great to meet you guys today Froff!
This morning wasnt the bluebird start that was forecast but some nice turns to be had before the crowd set in. Stoked for those that work all week to be able to get some pow turns and always a buzz to be lapping with amped young J crew. Sun is out now and its stunning here. Almost feels like spring this afternoon except we arent out the front drinking beers with friends
Yep great day, a few fresh tracks at happo before it got pretty busy on the mountain. But the longest we waited for a lift was 5 mins so no big deal. Sun came out mid morning.
First time I've ever received a discount by using Mastercard to pay for lift tickets in Japan! Good news for any Citibank or 28 Degrees card holders. Plus at the on mountain restaurants you get a free drink (non-alcoholic) when using mastercard
Love that old, slow double chair.Yep great day, a few fresh tracks at happo before it got pretty busy on the mountain. But the longest we waited for a lift was 5 mins so no big deal. Sun came out mid morning.
First time I've ever received a discount by using Mastercard to pay for lift tickets in Japan! Good news for any Citibank or 28 Degrees card holders. Plus at the on mountain restaurants you get a free drink (non-alcoholic) when using mastercard
Gondola top...looking back down the hill. The two lifts on the left are the highest chairs (i don't think the one on the left runs)Bit of a noob question but, where and what are the lifts and runs in the Tsugaike snow cam with the gondola and 2 lifts to the left.
Coming to Hakuba for 1 week from Sunday with 2 sons that can ski much better than I can.
Any ideas for a good skiing experience for them ? Steve Lee Hakuba Powder Tours have been suggested - looks good but pricey. Any other suggestions or should I just let them loose on the slopes the whole time ?
Also how is to get around Hakuba ? Can you just walk and/or use public transport or do you need a car ?
Ah so they must be the Han-no-ki high speed, and there's a saddle between it and Tsuga pair with the building being the cafe Tsuga-no-mori
It's quite a spread out rural town with a few villages so it depends where you are staying. The places we've stayed have been walkable.there are shuttle buses that run frequently
Let them loose on the slopes for the first few days. Try a different resort each day using the free shuttle buses if you can. With fresh snow your boys will be in heaven!
Use the cash to rent a car from Windy just make sure you have an international drivers licence from RAC. That way you can ride all our resorts with ease and do the snow monkeys very affordably on a down day. On ride days meet the boys at lunch times. Strongly suggest 1/2 days to start with any way.Hi, we're in Hakuba for the next few days, been skiing Happo for 2 days, and really loving the snow this afternoon mid-mountain on olympic run (especially compared to yesterday's snow).
Wondering if any advice on where to ski when the weather closes in over the next few days? I was told that Happo goes on wind-hold easily? Not sure how correct this is, so after advice. Havent been to 47 yet, so very unfamiliar with the terrain. amy advice welcome!
I have to confess I’ve never really noticed wind hold issues in my Hakuba trips.
I guess you’re looking for more tree lined skiing and 47 does have that. However, there are only maybe 10 runs for the whole of 47 so go with modest expectations!!
Watch the wind direction.
Happo will go on wind hold first.
Then 47 goryu.
Cortina will go on hold in strong nw winds and heavy snow.
This storm is weird.
It's going to come from a bunch of directions.
The very top lift of Happo may go on wind hold first, but it's Goryu /47 where you don't want to be when it's on wind hold. The two resorts connect at the top, and it ends up being super boring when that happens. As long as the Happo gondola is going, you still have a lot of mountain.
For windy days, go to Norikura, Iwatake, Tsugaike or Sanosaka.
*depends on wind direction though.
I'm seeing some crazy sou easters with snow into strong sou westerlies.
Iwatake is the best ridiculous storm hill IMO.
Unusually, I copped a day where Iwatake was on wind hold from late morning last season. Previous season, I was there when there was ONE super strong gust at Iwatake, then no wonder, while Happo was restricted to 5 lifts, and Goryu /47 was just the beginners at the bottom.
Tsugaike is good because you don't need the gondola running to get up the top.
Norikura is all chairs. So a reasonably safe bet on a windy day.
If we get the wind that is being shown in the forecast there wont be a gondola spinning in the valley on Wednesday. Many lifts will be shut too. Cortina will most likely be the best bet if that is the case depending on if they get excess snow. Throughout the valley there is a thick rain crust so they may shut if there is a lot of fresh snow sitting on top of that.
Having been here a little while now I dont trust too many of the forecasts and will just have to wait and see what happens and make plans daily.
Just be careful if you are up here in heavy snow, with one fatality already this year in deep snow and avalanche death this week. We also lost someone walking home from a bar last week so watch how much you drink particularly as the over night temperatures forecast this week are VERY cold.
Its going to be heavy snow and strong winds from a strange direction as well.
Ridic westerly/Sou westerly at 100kms plus at 1000m asl
Given the nature of this system, looks like the southern resorts might fare better? Thinking of giving Sanosaka a whirl tomorrow for the first time. How would this resort fare with the forecast wind tomorrow?
Sanosaka
Sanosaka would be sheltered, but one reason is that the runs and vertical are short (460m)
If I was choosing one of those, I'd be more inclined towards Kashimayari, with bigger vertical(720m) and more black runs (powder courses). Even Norikura has a 600m vertical.Th
thanks Pete! Will definitely try to call in- the kids are always looking for an excuse for hot chocolates...
Should've followed Sandy's advice and headed to Kashimayari today... decided I'd chance Goryu / 47 after dropping the kids off at lessons... then got stuck at 47...
Based on weather tomorrow, and it being my last day, any tips on where to go? Keen for some fresh / but need to balance the needs of my wife (she can ski anything, but doesn't want to be in the wind / trees, and doesn't have too many runs in her), but will be dropping the kids in lessons again at Goryu.
Hey Funky , Iwatake was windy but all open all day, but kids ran out of interesting runs. I did back country tour that left from cortina, which looked to be running quite well, of that's any help? We were thinking maybe Cortina tomorrow...
Goryu/47 are absolutely the worst place to pick if there's a possibility of wind hold.
Go to Norikura tomorrow. Get the dual ticket with Cortina, then you have that option if things are open. Leave the wife to have pizza & onsen at the Cortina hotel.
Ta...
She wants to ski... just not all day and not as long and hard as me. So by the time we get there after drop off at Goryu, have a few rests, it'll be time to leave for pick up...
Oh, and no need for Onsen our hotel has one...We tried Tsugaike first thing and pretty much everything was on hold. Grabbed a cab to norikura for 1180 yen and have been inhaling pow all morning. Nearly took someones head off when they launched from behind me and stacked into a big cloud of snow in front of me. Idiotic. I hope it wasn't anyone here, they were riding a black wedge tail shape.
We tried to get to norikura but we're told whole mountain was shut- looks like actually it's only Cortina .Reverted to Happo where super windy and heavy tracked powder.
They took a little while getting the middle double chair running. I think It's all open now except for the crazy chair going up to the peak near Cortina.
