Hakuba Skiing

 

Hakuba is made up of a number of ski fields that are very close to each other (some of them even join up to each other and you can ski from one to the other). It’s very easy to ski a new field every day and to get around by private transfer, taxi or the free buses.

Hakuba Happo-One

Day 2 conquoring the powder

This was the resort right over the road from our accomodation. Our first day was a typical day 1 of a ski holiday with everyone finding their legs and the conditions a bit icey (Whakapapa comparisons were made). Overnight it snowed bringing powder for day 2 which was amazing. There are lots of lifts on this field, but quite a few seemed to go nowhere or where another lift already went. Lots of terrain to explore, but infrastructure and getting around can be tricky with poor signage. Minimal grooming.

thoughts

What We Liked

  • The Bear Cafe outperformed expectations and had great coffee, plus a cudley companion to keep you company.

Jacqui and Carlie at The Bear Cafe

  • This was AJ & Jacqui’s best lunch at Kitaone Kogen Terrace. Well priced also. We also liked our pasta at Panorama.

  • Right over the road from our accomodation.

What We Didn’t Love

  • Old infrastructure and clunky lifts.

  • Lack of grooming.

  • Lots of terrain to explore, but made tricky by the lifts.

Hakuba47 & Goryu

Above the inversion layer

These two fields are right beside each other and easy to ski from one to the other. A great day was had by many party members due to the clear weather and amazing views in the morning and extensive grooming (the most corduroy seen to date). Goryu was quite small and heaving with beginners all lying on the snow which was quite amusing. Hakuba47 offered wide runs and piped jazz music, although some party members thought it was limited with only two runs.

thoughts

What We Liked

  • Wide open runs for the intermediate skiers.

  • Good place to get your ski legs.

  • Great grooming!

  • Had some good Fireballs at the bottom

What We Didn’t Love

  • No foot rests on the lifts and quite a few without safety bars (to be fair a number of fields had these issues).

  • Lunch was pretty ordinary and also quite expensive for Japan. Some party members are still recovering from their fish biscuit.

Tsugaike

Getting a bit snowy on the lifts.

Very cute looking village that comes right up to the resort. We didn’t get time to explore the village, but could be worth a look. We all enjoyed this field in spite of some very average visiblity. There was a good variety of runs including plenty of wide open. There were lots of on mountain dining options, includig Burger King! The resturant we ate at offered ramen and shashimi. Unlike lots of other fields you were allowed to ski in the trees after you’d watched a video.

Down the bottom of the field were a few good little bars including one with a foot onsen. Free to use while you have a drink and 300YEN for a souvenier towel.

Having a few highballs whilst possibly catching a variety of foot fungus’s.

What We Liked

  • Good variety on the field.

  • Good dining options.

  • The foot onsen.

  • Watching the beginner skiers - special mentions to the person who took off their skis to do a turn and the person who did the splits.

 

Cortina & Norikura

At the top of our favourite run at Cortina (strange hotel at the bottom)

Once again these two fields are interconnected. We started the day at Cortina and we may have loved this field more than it deserved because the sun came out and the views were great. We were also transfixed by the very enormous and strange hotel at the bottom.

Tudor strangeness at Cortina

We enjoyed the wide open runs at the bottom of the mountain and some excellent action from the beginner snowboarders. The great thing was they were so slow and travelled in a pack so very easy to ski around. Further up were some more challenging runs, including tree runs that required no license or special pass. The snow on this field was really great on the day we were there. There are limited food options, but we enjoyed our morning coffee and treats from the caravan at the bottom.

We headed over to Norikura resort for lunch and afternoon skiing. Whilst the decor was decidely average, they had a good variety of meals available, with many seafood options (only 30km from the coast the signs proclaimed). This was ordered from a machine so was suitablely Japanese and entertaining. Some okay runs, but definetely only a half day field. Was all strangely deserted with not many people around.

What We Liked

  • Crazy architecture

  • Good snow

  • Good lunch

Iwatake

Coffee break at The City Bakery

This is a little field, but probably still worth a visit (ideal to combine with half a day at another nearby field - we went back to Happo One for the afternoon. The runs are quite limited and the back wasn’t open, however we had a few nice runs and then headed to The City Bakery for our morning coffee break. This offered amazing views and great people spotting with people walking in their city clothes to the cafe for a coffee.

Another highlight of this field was the sycnronised skiing competition that was going on. Excellent viewing and outfits.

What We Liked

  • The bakery was pretty good (with excellent toilets with a view).

  • There is a souviener shop in the gondola building - one of the few we saw.