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Hokkaido, Japan (Jan 4-10, 2017)
- Thread starter abc
- Start date
Jully
Active member
Looking forward to the reports!
4aprice
Well-known member
Have fun ABC. Looking forward to your reports and photo's.
Alex
Lake Hopatcong, NJ
Alex
Lake Hopatcong, NJ
Enjoy!
dlague
Active member
That is friggin awesome! Looking forward to the TR. Get after it!
Sent from my SM-G930P using AlpineZone mobile app
Sent from my SM-G930P using AlpineZone mobile app
ScottySkis
Well-known member
Jealous!
Have wonderful trip!
Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
Have wonderful trip!
Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
abc
Well-known member
This one will probably be short, since I had trouble accessing the site yesterday. Also it was all socked-in, so no photos.
Day 0 (Jan 4): arrived at Hirafu
Had just enough time to stop by the rental shop before they closed up. The forecast was not expecting any significant snow. They didn't have the exact dimensions of skis I had in mind. So I opted for the narrower one. A decision I would come to regret the next morning.
Day 1 (Jan 5): Hirafu
It snowed overnight. Not a lot, just enough to obscure little bumps. Visibility was poor and the top lifts were down on wind hold. So it was crowded.
I hooked up up with a Aussie family staying at the lodge and just following them around. They've been coming to this resort for many years so know the place well. So on my first run, as a "warm up" on something" not too difficult", we dropped down some steep bumps right off the lift! Fortunately, the bumps were only 50 yard long.
Next thing, we were in the trees! That was a bit too intense for my first run of the season on a rental ski that's a bit too narrow and too short for the condition ( because we didn't expect a lot of snow).
But that's when I got my first taste of famous Japanese light powder!
Snow was calf height. It was so light it just disappeared as if it's not there when it meets the skis!!!
Unfortunately, every skier from Australia seems to be there! So whatever powder we got, there's no going back for 2nd serving. (We didn't get first chair either, because by local standards, it wasn't considered a powder day) once the powder got chopped up, it ... well just like any chopped up powder.
After a lunch break, I decided to go in and change up into a fatter and longer plank. But condition had deteriorated considerably in the afternoon. The groomer was slick. Visibility got even worse. Sometimes it was hard to figure out up from down. so I quit relatively early at around 3:30.
Actually, I did take one photo. It shows the Hokkaido definition of "non-powder":
Day 0 (Jan 4): arrived at Hirafu
Had just enough time to stop by the rental shop before they closed up. The forecast was not expecting any significant snow. They didn't have the exact dimensions of skis I had in mind. So I opted for the narrower one. A decision I would come to regret the next morning.
Day 1 (Jan 5): Hirafu
It snowed overnight. Not a lot, just enough to obscure little bumps. Visibility was poor and the top lifts were down on wind hold. So it was crowded.
I hooked up up with a Aussie family staying at the lodge and just following them around. They've been coming to this resort for many years so know the place well. So on my first run, as a "warm up" on something" not too difficult", we dropped down some steep bumps right off the lift! Fortunately, the bumps were only 50 yard long.
Next thing, we were in the trees! That was a bit too intense for my first run of the season on a rental ski that's a bit too narrow and too short for the condition ( because we didn't expect a lot of snow).
But that's when I got my first taste of famous Japanese light powder!
Snow was calf height. It was so light it just disappeared as if it's not there when it meets the skis!!!
Unfortunately, every skier from Australia seems to be there! So whatever powder we got, there's no going back for 2nd serving. (We didn't get first chair either, because by local standards, it wasn't considered a powder day) once the powder got chopped up, it ... well just like any chopped up powder.
After a lunch break, I decided to go in and change up into a fatter and longer plank. But condition had deteriorated considerably in the afternoon. The groomer was slick. Visibility got even worse. Sometimes it was hard to figure out up from down. so I quit relatively early at around 3:30.
Actually, I did take one photo. It shows the Hokkaido definition of "non-powder":
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abc
Well-known member
This Picture, taking today, shows why the previous wasn't considered a "powder": because it was consolidated powder rather than fluffy powder as in THIS picture
( why does my pictures rotated after upload? It was taken right side up. I tried three times and rotated them twice myself. I had the same problem two days ago when I uploaded that penguin picture too. I'm giving up, you'll just have to twist your screen to see it )
( why does my pictures rotated after upload? It was taken right side up. I tried three times and rotated them twice myself. I had the same problem two days ago when I uploaded that penguin picture too. I'm giving up, you'll just have to twist your screen to see it )
Cornhead
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2010
- Messages
- 2,840
- Points
- 48
Rambo
Member
Happy New Year! I was just recently going to tell Cornhead, that I hadn't noticed any postings on AZ Zone recently form ABC and behold comes this awesome trip report... looking forward to more photos.
Sweet photos.
I have had the pic rotation issue too. Wherever you are saving the pics try editing them by rotating to the wrong position, save it, then edit again and rotate to the correct orientation and save it again. A pain in the ass but it has worked for me.
I have had the pic rotation issue too. Wherever you are saving the pics try editing them by rotating to the wrong position, save it, then edit again and rotate to the correct orientation and save it again. A pain in the ass but it has worked for me.
abc
Well-known member
I haven't been posting because I wasn't able to get onto the site. The time that I generally have available for posting, in the evening Asia time, seems to be the time the server or the database gone down for daily maintenance or something. ("server not found", "entry not found")
I can't even read what got posted on the forum, never mind posting and uploading pictures.
Might have to wait till I get back onto the Western Hemisphere (mid-Jan) to continue with the trip report. Or, maybe we are still on holiday schedule? ;-)
anyway I'll do what I can when I can
Cornhead
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2010
- Messages
- 2,840
- Points
- 48
You're not the only one, site seems to be down alot lately.
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abc
Well-known member
Day 2 (Jan 6) Kiroro
Several people staying in the lodge were going over to ski in Kiroro. I was invited to tag along. The lodge manager offered to drive us over there, about hour away.
Kiroro is known to be a mountain with fewer people and more powder. No way would I miss such an opportunity.
Another Aussie, who has a house at Niseko and knows the mountain intimately, joined the group. Basically, we got a local guide and transportation for free. You can't beat that, can you?
I will let the pictures do the talking
The crowd ( The guy down the hill was from our group )
See the powder up to his knee? Also note that little dot further up the slope at the edge of the woods? Look closely, you could make out one of our group digging himself out of the snow after burying his tip. It's not a day for sub-80 waist skis.
Several people staying in the lodge were going over to ski in Kiroro. I was invited to tag along. The lodge manager offered to drive us over there, about hour away.
Kiroro is known to be a mountain with fewer people and more powder. No way would I miss such an opportunity.
Another Aussie, who has a house at Niseko and knows the mountain intimately, joined the group. Basically, we got a local guide and transportation for free. You can't beat that, can you?
I will let the pictures do the talking
The crowd ( The guy down the hill was from our group )
See the powder up to his knee? Also note that little dot further up the slope at the edge of the woods? Look closely, you could make out one of our group digging himself out of the snow after burying his tip. It's not a day for sub-80 waist skis.
abc
Well-known member
I'm sorry about the upside down pictures. But I don't have a good internet connectivity, so I'm really not in position to keep trying the rotation trick.
If a mod can help rotate them the right way, great. Otherwise, you all will just have to suffer through this till I get back in mid-Jan to fix it. Or just twist you screen! ;-)
If a mod can help rotate them the right way, great. Otherwise, you all will just have to suffer through this till I get back in mid-Jan to fix it. Or just twist you screen! ;-)
abc
Well-known member
Day 3, (Jan 7) on the road somewhere in Hokkaido
Some of you may have been disappointed by the lack of anything Japanese in my report so far. And the pictures could have been any ski resort in the east.
That's because Niseko has basically been overrun by the Aussies! In the lift line (yes there is lift line!), one hears more English than Japanese. And between the Aussie lodge manager and the Aussie family who had been skiing the area for more than 10 years, I didn't have to deal with any of the logistics of skiing in Japan. It almost felt like I'm skiing somewhere in the Northeast. Well, with much better snow conditions.
But that's about to change.
Day 3 is a travel day. I am moving from Niseko area to Furano area.
Unbeknown to me, today is the beginning of a 3 day weekend in Japan. So all the buses are running at or near capacity. And I did not make reservation for the bus!!! Ooops :-(
Some of you may have been disappointed by the lack of anything Japanese in my report so far. And the pictures could have been any ski resort in the east.
That's because Niseko has basically been overrun by the Aussies! In the lift line (yes there is lift line!), one hears more English than Japanese. And between the Aussie lodge manager and the Aussie family who had been skiing the area for more than 10 years, I didn't have to deal with any of the logistics of skiing in Japan. It almost felt like I'm skiing somewhere in the Northeast. Well, with much better snow conditions.
But that's about to change.
Day 3 is a travel day. I am moving from Niseko area to Furano area.
Unbeknown to me, today is the beginning of a 3 day weekend in Japan. So all the buses are running at or near capacity. And I did not make reservation for the bus!!! Ooops :-(
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abc
Well-known member
To make matters worse, since Niseko and Furano are on the opposite side of Sapporo airport, my journey from Nesiko to Furano involves 2 legs: first to get from Niseko to the airport, then from the airport to Furano. I needed to find a combination that has availability on both legs. I need to accomplish all that with the severe language AND cultural barrier.
First, I asked in English what I want, and got that Standard "no, that's not possible. The buses are all full today"
I asked again "really? "and look them straight in the eyes. That, brought on a long serious discussion in Japanese among themselves. "maybe. maybe we can try this"
Ah! " please, please try" and "Thank you very much"
Somehow, between two different bus company, the representative were able to string together a compilation that will get me to Furano at the time I wish to go.
Fortunately for me, I didn't bring my own skis on this trip. That, made it possible that I got on a technically "full" bus. For interestingly, they plan their bus capacity based on luggage space instead of the number of seats. My not having skis means they can squeeze my two small bags in some corners. And there are empty seats that I can easily park my sorry ass on.
Check in, walk next door to get my skis rented, then go for a soak in a "onsen" (Janpaness for hot spring bath)!
I'm staying in the Backpackers inn. They sell discount lift tickets. Except, I have not exchanged enough Japanese Yen ( they prefer cash. Credit card payment carries a surcharge which wiped out the discount) But, that's not a problem " you are staying here, you can pay us later". It's the Japanese version of "charge it to the room", except they didn't take any deposit nor a credit card imprint for the room either...
First, I asked in English what I want, and got that Standard "no, that's not possible. The buses are all full today"
I asked again "really? "and look them straight in the eyes. That, brought on a long serious discussion in Japanese among themselves. "maybe. maybe we can try this"
Ah! " please, please try" and "Thank you very much"
Somehow, between two different bus company, the representative were able to string together a compilation that will get me to Furano at the time I wish to go.
Fortunately for me, I didn't bring my own skis on this trip. That, made it possible that I got on a technically "full" bus. For interestingly, they plan their bus capacity based on luggage space instead of the number of seats. My not having skis means they can squeeze my two small bags in some corners. And there are empty seats that I can easily park my sorry ass on.
Check in, walk next door to get my skis rented, then go for a soak in a "onsen" (Janpaness for hot spring bath)!
I'm staying in the Backpackers inn. They sell discount lift tickets. Except, I have not exchanged enough Japanese Yen ( they prefer cash. Credit card payment carries a surcharge which wiped out the discount) But, that's not a problem " you are staying here, you can pay us later". It's the Japanese version of "charge it to the room", except they didn't take any deposit nor a credit card imprint for the room either...
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spring_mountain_high
New member
bucket list for me...go to japan, ride trains, ski, eat, soak
thanks for sharing abc!
thanks for sharing abc!
abc
Well-known member
Day 4 (Jan 8 ) Furano
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