How's the snow, Niseko?

Reed.

Reed.

Active member
Just booked a trip to Niseko for Feb 12-25, pretty dang pumped. I also bought this trip sort of last minute and haven't done much research.

Ill be there with one buddy most of the time, but possibly 2 more. We're bringing skins/avy gear. Wondering if anyone has any decent tips on where to ski inbounds, are there gates open, etc?

We'd love if someone wanted to shred with us and show us around a day or two. We're pretty good skiers and down for whatever. Looks like you guys have a great winter so far, hopefully it keeps up.
 
It was a great December, so a decent base was laid down. January has been a little less snowy, but still has had some decent snowfalls. Looks like this weekend coming should be a good one.

By that time in Feb, you still should have a lot of powder days, although it won't be quite as consistent as earlier in the winter. But you should get a few clear days for getting out and touring. Plus is shouldn't be as busy.

The gates out of Niseko should be open, barring bad weather, or unstable snow. Tons of options with not much hiking involved. It's worth getting out if possible to check out Moiwa, and Chisennupuri - smaller areas, next to Niseko which are less crowded, cheaper, but get the same pow. Also Rusutsu is great for a couple of day trips.

I ride at Rusutsu alot, so if you happen to be there when I'm there, I'll happily show you around. Drop me a line on here.

Enjoy!
 
Awesome! Im real excited. What do lift tickets run there? I think we're staying at the hooting owl lodge if anyone has heard of it...
 
Also, is there anything about the country in general I should know? So Far:

Seems like there is little crime.

Bringing all my Avy gear/ touring gear.

Rely on cash a lot, not too many places accept credit cards.

English is spoken pretty heavily in Niseko?

Any other tips would be great.
 
Lift passes generally are around Y5,000, a little more for the whole all area pass at Niseko, and a little less for smaller spots.

Yep, very little crime, you're fine carrying large amounts of cash around, you're very unlikely to get mugged. If you lose your wallet, it'll almost certainly be found and handed in to a police station. Try to use cash as much as you can, although alot of places in Niseko now take card. And yeah, you won't need a word of Japanese in Niseko, although the odd word is no doubt appreciated.

If you get chance, it's worth spending a day in Sapporo, or Otaru. Or in Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto when you fly in or out. It's nice to see somewhere more Japanese if it's your first time here. Niseko could be any ski town in the world really. I think the Sapporo Snow Festival will be happening while you're here too. Quite interesting, huge snow sculptures.

Enjoy!
 
I'll be there from the 19th to 24th if you need an extra teammate - I'm currently debating whether it's worth the luggage fees to bring my powder skis or better just to rent there...
 
You can definitely rent powder skis at a few places, but it'd be quite expensive. I guess it depends what your airline is going to charge you!
 
Looks like we've got a big storm coming in right now. Should be dumping for a good couple of days. I'm heading up to Asahidake, the tallest mountain in Hokkaido. Should be deeeeeep.

 
yeah, weve been having a blast here. Looking like another storm is lining up this week too. Too much powder
 
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