Returned to Yuzawa onsen town and skied in Kagura, Naeba, Gala+Ishiuchi Maruyama ski resorts. Rented a medium-fat ski on D1+2.
D1 Kagura+Tashiro
With the fatter ski I had better control on bumpy and deep snow. Went up to the expert course @1850m – on top of the Main gelande, for the first time when previously it was closed most of the time.
Main gelande outside gondola
before descending the last bit on main gelande
on top of expert course
looking back on expert course
top of Tashiro ropeway
on the way back to Kagura
D2 – Mt Naeba
Big snowstorm grounded the gondola to the upper slopes so all were confined to lower slopes. The fatter skis allowed me to surf on knee-deep snow when previously on normal skis I would have sink in and got stuck.
D3 – Gala+Ishiuchi Maruyama (IM)
Sunny and calmer day at last. Revisited Gala and spent few hours in neighbouring IM, where there are some good moguls at the foothill. Gala itself was not that big and it was quite crowded even on weekday.
Skied in Hakuba for 5th time. We were lucky that prior to our arrival in mid-Jan heavy snow has been falling for few days, such that all slopes were opened.
D0 – Entering the snow country from Nagano
as usual, took Shinkansen to arrive at Nagano and change to express bus to Hakuba Happo.
Snow covered Nagano city
outside Happo bus terminal
ryokan inner garden
view from room in early morning
trucks was burried after overnight snow
D1 – Hakuba Goryu+Hakuba47
Heavy snow was falling while the gondola was operating on and off intermittently. Fresh pow was everywhere !! The top lifts for both were closed due to strong wind and poor visibility, thus we were confined to ski in Goryu.
Came down the Champion-expert course
Toomi gelande
Alps-daira Grand Prix gelande was closed due to strong wind and poor visibility
at the bottom of Toomi-gelande
D2-4 in Hakuba Happo-one
Skied in Happo-One for the rest of our trip. We had a rare sunny day on D3 with all clouds and mists dispersed in the morning. Went to the mt top @1850m to take great shots of the 3 summits of Shirouma-dake – the featured image. 1st time in deep blue sky !!
D3 morning view from room
Panaromic view @1650m
heading towards the top mt lift
@1850m
Goryu-dake
@1650m
Karamatsu-dake
Usagidaira @1450m
top of Olympic course II
looked back after descent
getting misty in pm
ryokan that we stayed in Happo
Big sakura tree in snow
Jinja in thick snow
Tall JP sugi trees in Jinja
Time in Tokyo and in Hakuba Happo
as usual, we met up with local friends in Tokyo for reunion. Enjoyed in cosy izakayas in Happo. Returned to Tokyo and visited museum in Ueno Park.
Skied in Niseko for the 3rd time in mid-March. Lucky to have lots of snow dumping everyday while we were there – the greatest pow of all my visits !
Niseko Hirafu
at 1000m outside mt hut
Mt Yotei faintly visible
Taraba-kani ramen @JPY1800 – only served in Hanazono
Hanazono area
Niseko Annupuri
snowing heavily in the morning
top of Annupuri outside of gondola station – the top lift was closed due to strong wind
outside of mt hut serving coffee – MUST stop
Niseko Village
on gondola
Top of NV
looking back at Mt top
back to Hirafu after lunch
Living in Niseko Hirafu
stayed in a modern apartment in Hirafu with ski in/out, ski rentals and onsen.
Apartment we stayed
Teine
With a day in Sapporo, visited Teine ski resort nearby. Snow was slushy and some ski lifts/gondola were not operating – maybe not many skiiers on weekday and also strong wind on top. Later in the day, heavy rain poured thus I left before 4pm. Gears were in poor condition but rental was more expensive than in Niseko.
4th time skiing in Kagura/Naeba, 20-50min bus ride from Yuzawa onsen town uphill respectively.
Kagura is in fact comprised of 3 ski resorts – Mitsumata, Kagura and Tashiro. The last two are a bit higher up @1400-1500m on the top, thus they have better powder than in Naeba. Runs are in general longer and wider, though more for intermediate than advanced. We were lucky to have ample snowfall while we were there – Great pow so thick and bouncing not inferior at all to Hakuba, Niseko !!
view of Yuzawa town from hotel
great snow, great pow !!
Kagura main gelande
Tashiro slope facing a lake @1400m
on Kagura gondola
Mt Naeba ski
Skied in Naeba for 1D. Power snow was on the upper slopes on top of gondola, which would stop running under strong wind. At the foothills, snow could be hard here and there. Thus, we prefer Kagura to Naeba in general, and would ski here on calm days.
skiing on upper slope top of gondola
top of Mt Naeba
Yuzawa onsen town
Good dining options in onsen town. Visited a small izakaya run by husband-and-wife twice. Both of them were so cordial as if we were having dinner at home. Husband is the chef having a chef-teacher award ! Delicious food but inexpensive at all.
2nd ski here since 2008. Heavy snow upon arrival and on the first day on the slope, with gusty wind and freezing cold temps around -10C day and night. Great Pow !!
on bus outside Ilyama station
local shops in onsen town
overnight snow
heavy snow and gusty wind on 1st day
looking back on Schindler slope
Top of mt
top of Schindler mogul slope
Madarao ski
went to Madarao for 1D-ski. About 1.5hr by shuttle bus from Nozawa. Snow was less powdery in general, might be due to lower altitude. Good pow was on the Crystal run on top @1300m where the slope was partially shielded by trees.
top of Crystal run
looking back on Crystal mogul slope
another mogul slop in Tangram area
Nozawa onsen town
Before leaving, had a quick stroll around the onsen town, including the onsen origin.
5th time skiing in Hakuba in late dec before X’mas. Brought a friend whom was very keen to learn skiing. Unfortunately, due to severe El-Nino snow was terrible on the slopes downhill – the worst I’ve ever seen. In Happo-one, slopes from Olympic courses and below were closed.
As a result, we skied in some of the upper slopes opened in Hakuba Goryu and Hakuba Happo-One, around 1400-1600m.
Shirouma dake can be seen with trees in the foreground
1st time staying in a pension. Owners were extremely cordial. Had dinner with their parents on one night. On our last dinner a deer hunted by them was grilled in the fireplace.
top of Appi
Mt Appi viewed from train
Pork shabu-shabu dinner
pension owners
all you can drink – sake, whiskey, beer etc
deep snow everywhere
Yamagata Zao – 2 day ski
After skiing in Appi for 2 days, went to Yamagata Zao for another 2 days for the 1st time. Had known about these tree monsters (Juhyo) before, but it was really captivating being surrounded by thousands of them. The whole scene was surreal as if we were on another planet!
Juhyo on either side of ski course
numerous of these extending uphill
view from gondolda
view from top observation deck @1600m
close encounter @1600m outside Jizosancho station
top of ski course @1600m
Kaiseki dinner in onsen ryokan
Zao onsen opened for 1900 years, as stated in poster
Juhyo may or may not be seen even in close range, much depending on weather condition. When the mt top is shrouded in mists/clouds, nothing can be seen. A local senior couple whom we met in the onsen ryokan for dinner went up there w/o seeing anything. We were lucky to catch a glimpse of them when the mists suddenly cleared up for about 30min when we were having a late lunch up there.
had a great time with ski pals skiing, dining, drinking !!
As happy as Doraemon upon arrival at the airport
First buffet dinner – even grilled beef was tender and delicious
top of Mt East Isola
Mt Yotei on the left
Toya-ko in the distance
came down from mogul A course
cake and tea time after skiing
local group performing Irish music
French dinner
Italian dinner
in the bar after dinner
Niseko – 2 day ski
Snow was not great even in mid March 2016. Quite disappointed – just a little bit of powder at the very top due to unusually warm weather for a couple of days prior to our arrival.
