It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to our village of Hakuba. We are honored to have guests from not only Japan but from all over the world who share our joy of the 3000 meter peaks soaring above Hakuba. We are only a small village of 9,000 but we are recognized by being the top winter destination in all of Japan. Hakuba hosted the premier events at the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games which firmly placed us as a world snow resort Mecca. I sincerely hope you have a marvelous time skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and other winter sports. Hakuba is also a great place to relax, while rejuvenating in a natural hot-spring or dining out in one of our numerous restaurants. The tragic events of 11 March 2011 when the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power disaster hit Japan had little effect Publisher: Editor: Design: Advertising: Contributions:
Snow Connections Steve Williams Ashish Bose Mikiyo Williams Stewart Adamson Bevan Colless Chris Hockings Patrick Fux James Robb
here in Hakuba. I would like to assure everyone that our resort is safe from any concerns you may have. Hakuba is all year round resort. If you enjoyed Hakuba in the winter then why not visit another time of the year. From adrenalin pounding challenges, tranquil walks in the mountains to clear mountain fed lakes and rivers, there are a wide range of activities for everyone to sample. I truly hope you have a wonderful experience in Hakuba and welcome you to return some day soon. . Yours,
Hiroki Ota, Mayor, Hakuba Contact Information: 1606-4 Hokujo Hakuba Nagano 399-9301 Japan Tel: 080-3126-0247 Email: magazine@hakubaconnect.com www.hakubaconnect.com
Hakuba Connect annual winter visitor guide is free when picked up at distribution points throughout the Hakuba valley. Š Snow Connections. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Individual advertisers are solely responsible for the content of advertising material which they submit to us, including ensuring that it complies with relevant legislation. We accept no responsibility for the content of advertising material, including, without limitation, any error omission or inaccuracy therein.
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The Beach
The Penke Bar
Calling all skaterbois and girls
December 19
December 20 – January 27
All Winter Season
Opening party for the latest bar in Happo. The Beach will have live music and DJs throughout the winter season. We have heard there will be cute girls working on the bar. I wonder if they will be wearing bikinis.
Get up to Wadano and enjoy listening to Amy Cunningham nightly at the fun Penke Bar. Cunningham’s music is tranquil and soothing with a regional feeling for folk/country forms. Her voice has a calming effect reminiscent of Jewel around the edges.
For those who need their skating fix, a new indoor skate park is set to open this winter in Hakuba. The park is open from 9:00 to 21:00 booking only. Rental skates and protection pads are available. Please call 0261-72-5153 for bookings. See map (F-4).
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Salt Road Taiko Drums Every Wednesday from December 28
Every Wednesday from December 28 Enjoy delicious cuisine while the local Salt Road Japanese Taiko drummers beat their drums at Riki Restaurant on Olympic Road. The show is loud and electrifying and everyone has a chance to participate.
66th Riesen Slalom March 1 & 2
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Shirouma Cultural Evening
For more information on events please visit www.hakubaconnect.com/news-events
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Spinna B-ILL at Tracks Bar
December 26 – March 1
January 28
How about enjoying some Japanese culture here in Hakuba. The friendly folk at Shirouma lodge will have you howling with laughter as you try making mocha, chewy rice cakes. Also try out the Japanese tea and sake ceremony. Private onsen also available. www.shiroumaso.com
Boogie on over to Goryu’s famous Tracks Bar for a night of reggae and soul . You will be blown away by Spinna B-ILL singing style and energetic performance. He is the “One & Only” singer! www.tracksbar.com for more live music and events this winter season.
Happy New Year at The Pub December 31
Welcome in the new year at the largest night venue in Hakuba. The classic European style building has 4 dance floors, pool table, foosball and darts. Regular live bands and DJ events held throughout the season. The Pub is the place to be this winter. Located in lower Wadano.
Happo Fire Festival February 18
Happo’s fire festival is guaranteed to put smiles on the face of the young and old. From 7:30 to 9:30 enjoy local food, hot wine and warm sake. Be there early for the free sake tasting. Watch the Happo ski and snowboard instructors jump through rings of fire. Wrap up well it can get cold.
Reggae Snow Splash February 25
Keep your diary free for the night event of the winter season. Snow Splash showcases several up and coming live acts and DJs. The event promises to be the hottest and most fun evening of the winter season. Held at The Pub in Wadano the Reggae Snow Splash motto is “Powder inna day, louder inna night.” www.reggaesnowsplash.com
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HAKUBA’S FAVORITE ONSEN Back by popular demand, Hakuba’s favorite onsen is re-opening for the 2011-2012 snow season. Genryu-no-yu onsen in Goryu which been closed for the past couple of years, is under new ownership and will open for bathers once again. Housed in the same building is a new Japanese style pub or Izakaya as they are commonly known. We spoke to the manager Mr. Kenji Sakurada, who mentioned that for the last few years, visitors and locals in Goryu had no onsen to soak in after a hard days skiing or boarding on the slopes. He is positive many of Hakuba’s international customers will enjoy a good soak in one the hot barrel baths followed by a beer or two in the renovated restaurant area. One of the specialties of the restaurant will be a huge “nabe”, Japanese style hotpot, great for the cold winter evenings. Admission to the onsen is 500yen for adults and 400yen for children. Genryu-no-yu is located just off the main artery road in Goryu. Please check the map on page 58.
WHAT’S A TANUKI?
leaves are money. But as soon as Tanuki is gone the money turns back into leaves.
With the opening of a great new food and entertainment venue in Hakuba this year we thought we would find out what was behind the name … Tanuki’s
So the legend continues in Hakuba … eat, drink, and play at Tanukis, a brand new sportsbar, located at Hakuba station,
A Tanuki is not only a real Japanese raccoon dog, he is also a legendary kami (or “spirit”) with the power to shape shift in pursuit of women, wine, food and mischief.
Tanukis has a great range burgers, fish & chips and crispy pizzas, along with bottled beers, frozen margaritas, daiquiris & cocktails. Plus you can catch all the big sporting events live while enjoying the free pool, darts, and foosball
Bars and restaurants often have a statue of Tanuki at their door. The statues always have a large belly, and most have large testicles - called Kin-tama (Golden Balls) in Japanese and seen as symbols of good luck.
Tanukis is open every day from 12 till late.
Even Japanese school children know the song of Tanuki - “Tan tan tanuki no kintama wa, Kaze mo nai no ni bura bura”, which roughly translates as “Tan tan tanuki’s balls, even without wind they’re blowing around” !
Back by popular demand is the Hakuba Cortina full day tour. The tour will get you to Cortina Ski Resort just as the first lifts open, and you can enjoy a full day on the slopes and sample some of the best tree skiing available in the Hakuba Valley. You also receive a 1,000yen lunch coupon, valid at most of the restaurants in the Hotel Green Plaza.
Often Tanuki is pictured looking a little inebriated, and holding an empty sake flask and a leaf. That’s because Tanuki are famous for having the ability to trick bar owners into believing
Hakuba’s BIG DAY OUT
After exhausting yourself on the slopes, a soak in the Oku
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Hakuba Hot Spring facility with baths, saunas, and waterfall is just what the body needs. Once you are refreshed and relaxed it’s time to satisfy your thirst and appetite, with the all you can eat – all you can drink buffet at the Hotel Green Plaza. The drink menu has 100 different choices with beer, wine and cocktails all there. And while you help yourself to the more than 60 items on the buffet, the chefs are also making sushi and cooking tempura on request. Price is 9,400yen per person for those wanting to try the alcohol menu, or 8,400yen if soft drinks are more your thing. Bookings can be made online at www.big-day-out.com, or ask your accommodation.
KID’S SKI/SNOWBOARD CAMPS If you asked kids what they wanted out of a ski or snowboard lesson, the overwhelming reply would be; have fun! If you asked the parents of those kids what they wanted their kids to get, you‘d hear words like; accomplishment, control, safety and enjoyment. Evergreen has a longstanding reputation of providing quality snowsports instruction that covers all aspects of what makes skiing and snowboarding so much fun. Their kids camp programs are designed to allow children to ski with others of the same age and ability, and also enjoy the excitement of skiing with their peers. Kids will also receive an Evergreenaward certificate for lessons running 3 days or more. More advanced skiers and riders
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NEW: One Chalets’ Private Chef Service Looking for the ultimate luxury Hakuba experience? New this season, the One Chalets private chef service is the Hakuba gamechanger that you’ve been waiting for. Imagine waking up to breakfast prepared for you every morning in your One Chalet: fresh pastries (prepared by our classically-trained pastry chef) eggs any-way-you-like, pancakes, bacon, sausages and much more....What better way to fuel up for a day on the powder? Arrive back to afternoon tea, sandwiches, cakes, coffee, maybe a sushi platter...Just enough to take the egde off before your evening meal (a stunning 3/4/5/6/8 course meal for you). No dishes, no shopping required, just the luxury of having delicious food prepared for by Chef Kazu and his team. Where do we sign up? As part of their ongoing mission to bring the high-end global travel market to Hakuba, One Chalets told Hakuba Connect “Our guests don’t necessarily want to cook a full gourmet breakfast each morning- but they would love one of our chefs to come to their chalet and do it for them! Hakuba has some great restaurants but we want to offer something really unique” We couldn’t agree more. See: www.onechalets.com for details. Fully catered and semi-catered packages available, plus one-off gourmet evening meals. Children catered for. Organic produce used throughout. Contact: info@onechalets.com
The One Chalets have pledged 10% of all profits from season 2011/12 to Save The Children and the Japan Red Cross for their continuing work in the tsumani-devastated Tohoko region. This is just one example of a local business acting in response to the recent tragic events. also have an avenue to step up their game with specially coached programs focusing on park, freestyle and alpine racing. During the week on these specialty lessons, students will also get video footage of their skiing or riding on a complimentary DVD to take home with them. Through numerous exercises, games
and challenges in a positive learning environment your children will have the best experience possible on the slopes, starting and finishing the day with a smile. Contact Evergreen Outdoor Center on Happo-One Resort, Kokusai Course. Tel: 0261-72-5150 www.evergreen-hakuba.com
Coffee time? As the newest addition to Gakuto Villas, the Lodge Cafe will open its doors this December, offering all day meals. Starting with a full buffet breakfast spread, and serving up coffees, fresh juices, and pastries until 9pm, this is one of the only eateries along the Wadano strip to remain open throughout the day. Lunchtime features healthy selections including soups, salads, pastas, and sandwiches. Ideal for unwinding and lounging on a day off the slopes. Open: 7:30am - 9pm Location: across from Gakuto Villas, Wadano no Mori www.gakutovillas.com
GET WITH THE PROGRAM This year Hakuba Snow Sports are introducing an exciting new product for customers holidaying in Hakuba. There has previously been a hole in the services provided in Hakuba. There are classes and lessons for beginners through to the advanced levels, but there has been nothing for those serious riders, those who are holiday rippers. Often the advanced rider’s enjoyment gets forgotten about on a snow holiday, they end up teaching their children or partners. Riding alone as none of their friends or family has the same skills as they do. Hakuba Snow Sports intend to change this by starting The Program. The Program is designed to bring together people who are passionate about their riding, those who want to improve their technique whilst riding the best conditions. The program is for advanced ski and snowboarders, who are able to ride black slopes with confidence. The participants will be taken to 5 different resorts in their 5 day course. The resort will be picked according to conditions of the day; each day will be a new adventure. They will be guided and instructed by world class coaches, giving them personalised advice whilst showing them where the best lines on the mountain are. For more information on The Program contact Hakuba Snow Sports School. www.hakubasnowports.com daniel@hakubasnowsports.com 080 5357 6420
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HAKUBA CLOTHING RETURNS Hakuba Clothing is back again this season with a new fresh line of Hakuba branded mountain wear. For those that want quality, style and something more than just a souvenir Hakuba Clothing has something for adults, children and babies. The range includes Hoodies, a variety of T-Shirts, Soft Shell Jackets, Stickers, Can Holders, Buff Style Headwear, Baby Rompers and much more. Based on customer feedback Hakuba Clothing have now launched their waterproof Snow Boots in a wide range of sizes for all the family. Hakuba gets a ridiculous amount of snow, so keep your feet warm and dry walking about the village in these knee high Snow Boots. You can pick up your own piece of Hakuba Clothing from 4 convenient locations around town; Happo Information Centre, Central Snow Sports in Happo Village (2 minutes from the Gondola), Tokyu Hotel in Wadano and Bamboo Coffee Bar at the Hakuba Train Station. Walk away wearing a piece of Hakuba today.
HAKUBA TRAINED ATHLETE’S TOP 10 IN THE WORLD AAA Racing is a program which provides alpine ski race training out of Iimori in Hakuba Japan. Many Australian National Team athletes train here for their northern hemisphere (Australian summer) winter, and have prepared for these major events here. 12 year old Sarah Dennis has completed 3 camps for her northern training in Hakuba over the last few years and left for Canada at the end of last year’s camp. Sarah Competed at Whistler Cup and scored a 10th place in GS and an 11th place in the kombi event which is both a slalom and a Gs course set down the same hill, completed in a single run on one pair of skis of your choice. It is a true test of versatility and ability. Congratulations Sarah. Check her or any other of the ultra high end athletes out any day on the Iimori slopes at Hakuba Goryu.
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March 11, 2011 is a date that will long stay in the memories of everyone close to Japan. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami and nuclear accident tore at the heart of eastern Japan, destroying entire communities and rendering some no longer inhabitable . It leaves us once again in awe of the destructive power of Nature and with the deepest sympathy for those who have lost their family and friends. Of the three aspects of the disaster, the tsunami caused the most graphic and widespread damage. “Tsunami” is one of the few Japanese words that is globally recognizable. Though writings and woodblock prints from the Japan’s past tell us of occurrences throughout history, they do not convey the enormity of such a disaster with the immediacy of the video recorded this time by the media and the survivors on their mobile phones. Such video and the before/after aerial photos give us an almost unprecedented understanding of what happens during such a catastrophe. Like many, we have been moved by the remarkable dignity and selfl essness Japanese survivors have shown in coping with the disaster and trying to rebuild their lives. It has been a reminder to many of us with foreign backgrounds of what attracted us to Japan in the first place. With their Buddhist infl uence, Japanese tend to be a fatalistic when faced with disaster and are not prone to grand expressions of grief. Instead, there is a quiet acceptance of events and their consequences. The strong communal sprit also meant there was also no looting or fi ghting over food as one sees in Hollywood disaster movies. People shared and bowed, thanking their rescuers. Before the disaster, Tohoku was already one the poorest areas of Japan, with a GDP reported to be just 6% of the national total. In spite of the increasing global reach of the Internet and news media, global charity response to the disaster has been limited . One possible reason is that Japan is perceived to be wealthy and hence not as needy. Though the earthquake, tsunami, and
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nuclear accident occurred on the Pacific coast of Japan, their disruption to both the electricity supply and the just-intime supply lines of manufacturers has resulted in a much more widespread economic aspect to the disaster. A further consequence was the selfrestraint or “jishuku” shown by many Japanese in the weeks following the disaster. This refers to ordinary people abstaining from all conspicuous forms of consumption out of sympathy for the victims. For us in Hakuba, it meant a very abrupt end to the ski season last winter. The mood started to change after calls from the people of Tohoku itself, one notably a sake brewer who went on Youtube to encourage people to attend traditional cherry blossom parties and keep him in business. For visitors to Japan and those reading Hakuba Connect overseas, we’d like to remind you that your custom and support are always appreciated and are especially welcome for Japan in these troubled times. The rising number of visitors to Hakuba in recent years has been a great help to our town, and like
the majority of the country, our area has been unaffected by the nuclear accident. It is safe to come here, and doing so is one of the best ways you can help Japan get back on its feet. Materock was a charity festival held this summer in Hakuba. It started with the idea of putting on one band for a private birthday party, but grew into an open charity event with thirteen acts. It was modeled on Kevrock, an invitationonly party in 2009 that brought legendary Aussie bands the Regurgitators and the Hoodoo Gurus to Hakuba to celebrate the birthday of a Tokyo businessman. With Materock being a charity concert, calls went out to a longer list of acts who were only too happy to come and perform . In the days leading up to the event, all the bands and comedians grew to love Hakuba. We all went swimming and paddle boating in the beautiful alpine lakes, played tennis, went for walks on the mountain, and had a great French lunch at Pilar at the top of Happo-One. A couple of impromptu jam sessions were also held in the local
arms are being twisted, so we don’t have a final figure at time of press. It is estimated however that Materock will raise over twenty million yen to the Hakuba International Education Fund. Hakuba Connect would also like to thank the Materock organizing committee who are all local Hakuba based figures. They include Joe Rigby of Liberty Skis, Richard Cohen of Village Cellars who generously donated all the premium Australian wines for the event, Jason Jensen and the friendly crew of Ski Japan Holidays, Simon Ryan of Tokyodoko, Mick Baker of Hakuba Fusion, Jeff Doiron of Phoenix Hotel and Kevin Mollard of JHN Travel. Without them, this memorable event would not have occurred.
Donations
Japanese pubs and karaoke bars with these iconic Australian acts. Both the performers and concert goers commented on how special our part of the Japan Alps is in summer. It’s not well known, but Hakuba actually receives more visitors in the three so-called green seasons of spring, summer, and autumn than in winter. Summer in Japan was actually quite wet this year, but with everyone heading to the local Shinto shrine to pray for good weather, the powers to be obliged and on Saturday 10th of September, we had a glorious day. People jetted in from all over the world in a great exhibition of solidarity for our Japanese friends. The event became an expression of love and support for Japan and appreciation of the beauty of the Hakuba region. Our brilliant host was the Hakuba 47 Ski Area. Along with the music, there were rides in a hot air balloon and a helicopter, table tennis, volleyball, and badminton courts. Lots to eat and drink too! We had local bands from Tokyo and Yokohama, including the all-girl Pinky Piglets, a big hit from
For those who would like to support the cause further and contribute to the fund here is the account details for the charity. Any donation big or small is appreciated and will contribute to us achieving our goal and forming a sustainable meaningful fund going forward to help achieve the funds stated goals. The Japanese yen account for the Hakuba Tohoku Education Fund is as below money can be sent to this account at anytime both from inside and outside of Japan. Account name: Tohoku Kokusai Kyoiku Kikin Bank name: Mizuho Bank Branch: Hiroo Branch Branch number: 057 Account number: 057-2049 582 Bank Address: 5-15-19 Minami Azabu Minato ku Tokyo Japan
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The Phoenix Hotel is offering a limited number of brand new Ski Chalets for sale. The chalets are located right next to the Phoenix Hotel in prestigious Wadanomori, offering easy access to Hakuba’s amazing Ski resorts. The Phoenix Chalets are available for the personal enjoyment of family and friends throughout the four seasons. For those times you can’t be around to take in the splendor of Hakuba, the professional management of the Phoenix Hotel will ensure your investment continues performing for you.
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Yes the old adage the one phrase that really gets to the heart of the matter and one of life’s burning questions, are there friends on powder days? I have always thought no definitely not! When bestowed with the gift of a perfect 3 feet of freshies, skiers by their nature cut out all distractions and go after it. When its man against the clock or against the elements you do whatever it takes to get out there and carve your perfect line. As really who want to wait around while all your favorite runs being chewed up by other riders, while your so called “friend” messes around with his i-phone or worse yet is taking a dump at the Gondola Station. This is actually the most painful to wait for, as once those gloves come off, pants come down and your cheeks are caressed by the heated Japanese toilet seat then you know it’s beyond anyone’s control of how long that wait will be. I no longer support this idea and yes like having friends on powder days; perhaps I am mellowing and am more satisfied with what I've had. No it’s not that, actually Hakuba has pristine powder stashes all throughout the Valley and if you really want it like a drug then its
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there, you just need to go and find it, climb a little higher and travel a little further. Having friends that can for the most part all rip just as well as you really helps too. Then comes the bragging and having a good listener there to tell a huge tale too of how good you were on that last line while riding the lift back up makes it so much better. So if you face this same dilemma, don’t worry as somewhere out there in the Hakuba Valley there are pristine untouched perfect steep deep lines just waiting for you & your friends to rip through.
To me, all that “No friends on a powder day” means is that we might not stand around and talk while there’s still fresh inbounds snow to cut up. We can talk on the lift!
All photographs kindly supplied by atrick Fux of powdermania.com Patrick is a regular visitor to Hakuba during the winter season. His photographs and blog can be viewed on the website as well as at www.facebook.com/powdermania
But once we head off-piste or into the backcountry, friends are essential! The obvious risk is getting caught in an avalanche. You can’t dig yourself out. All your skills, training, and fancy gear mean nothing when you are buried and can’t move. All that matters is that your friends are there with the search skills, beacons, probes, shovels, and the digging strategies they need to find you and get you out quickly enough. All this coupled with the skills and emergency medical supplies to stabilize, treat, and transport you once you are freed. But avalanches are the obvious risk to any powder-rider; you should already have your avalanche skills down and your rescue gear dialed before you head out into the deep. There are lessobvious risks that also mean that you need a buddy with you, even in-bounds: I think of the day when, blinded by clouds of flying snow, I slid onto an inbounds cat track and promptly caught my heelside edge on the berm at its edge. I flew backwards head-first over the bank and found myself half-buried, down a steep drop, and floundering in the fluff. I think of the day when I rounded a usually-smooth creek-bottom bend at speed and found open water. I toppled into the three-meter hole headfirst and
landed with neck bent sharply, pack in the water, head barely above, both skis on, wedged tightly. I could not move, and struggling only brought more snow down on me. I think of the day when I hit a little bump in the powder and instead of flying off it as I expected, both shins came up hard against the frozen-in branch of a broken tree. I think of the day when I cut close to an evergreen tree in snow that suddenly collapsed, sending me headfirst into the tree well hole beneath the branches. My skis were hung on the tree and refused to come free. Snow buried my head whenever I moved, and branches pushed me deeper when I tried to wriggle out. I think of the day I double-ejected on hitting a hole where someone had fallen, and jammed my helmet so deep into the powder on the other side that I could not breathe or pull it out. I think of twenty-minute searches with four people trying to find a ski lost in deep snow. I think of all the cables, pipes, branches, and rocks I have encountered along the edges of the runs, plus ropes, retaining walls, avalanche barriers, open creeks, dams, drops to cat tracks, snowboardeating flats, and natural obstacles that wait just off-piste. They may crack bad jokes and they might snake my line sometimes, but I am always happy to have my powder buddies along for the ride!
take a long time to get up and then you have to try to get moving again. I can still visualize it to this day, just deep deep powder on the runs everywhere and we felt like we were the only ones on the mountain. Where it was groomed there were walls on the side that were like a long white wave. We rode to the end of the day and we were totally spent. We bought ourselves a big can of Asahi beer each and sat down in the snow with the biggest grins and ever since we have always talked about “that day”.
the idea of finding my perfect line. It has taken me years, but I have finally found the one place I truly love. The type of line I would have to spend thousands of dollars for a helicopter in North America. It starts with one thousand feet of thirty-five degree powder dropping into my favorite cliff lined back-bowl. And it’s all mine. Why would I tell others that this line doesn’t cliff out? Why would I tell others about my secret fifty degree exit chute?
Skiing and snowboarding, why do we do it? Why do we devote so much time and energy to this sport? For some it’s about being outside. For others it’s more about socializing with friends or family. All are very good reasons but for me it’s
Why would I tell others that all my line costs me is a gentle thirty minute skin back out? Why would I tell others that after that there are still three more untouched lines just like it that we’re going to ski before noon? Because there aren’t any friends on a powder day!
Best friends and powder is what it’s all about. Eight years ago I came here with a good friend of mine, Dave Campbell from Melbourne. We were blown away by the amount of snowfall this one particular morning as neither of us had ever seen anything like it. Without a word of a lie one meter had fallen overnight and there was hardly anyone around on the mountain. It was still in the days when nobody would even ride the powder on the sides of the runs. We got off the first lift and as we had never experienced such deep snow before we had to learn how to snowboard again. It didn’t take us long though before we were rippin it to pieces. When the snow is that deep you have to find the steepest slopes around and not fall. It can
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They say there are no friends on a powder day but this is not always true. After skiing and boarding over 30 seasons (more than 2000 days), I have lost count of how many bottomless days of powder I have ridden. Therefore I find I am not so cut throat as others maybe on powder days. I am happy to ride with friends and students alike. I find a great passion in passing on the subtle tips and techniques people need to negotiate the deep snow. Many people struggle in powder due to lack of practice and knowledge. Riding powder requires a lot more finesse and precision than does riding of hard pack conditions. Powder is an amplifier of the mistakes you make in your everyday riding. Due to the extra resistance the powder provides, false movements are more likely to end in a crash. Hakuba and Japan as a whole are blessed with unbelievable riding conditions, with metres of snow falling each season resulting in many powder days. These days can be some of the best of your life or can just end up as frustrating reminders of how unfit you maybe or how your technique is lacking. Here are some pointers you can try next time you are in the powder. 1. The deeper the snow the greater the resistance, therefore the less turns you will need to make. 2. Speed is your friend, the faster you go the higher you will ride in the snow. 3. Don’t think of turning, rather think of small and gradual adjustments in your line, any rapid movements will end in a crash. I hope these get you thinking a bit and will help you the next time you find
yourself in the deep stuff. Good luck when the snow falls, have fun!!!
simply too painful as you notice a million skiers taking your lines and by the time you could ski down it was tracked, gone and tears of frustration …
For many years I was spending my seasons in North America and Europe where “NFOAPD” became increasingly important. Waiting for your friend was
Then a few years ago some friends finally convinced me to come to Hakuba and try something new, something different and something they described as quiet…. They told me that I don’t have to worry about too much powder competition and hell yes they have been right! I remember so well my very first
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run, it did not snow for 3 days and they told me in the morning that we will ski powder all day. I could not stop laughing and told them that this is the most ridiculous story somebody tried to tell me in years. Well this all changed right on top of the first run. Lift accessed untracked deep light powder and we were completely alone. I will never forget this moment and it was also the moment “NFOAPD” changed to “OnlyFOAPD”. Since then I’ve come back to Hakuba year after year to enjoy some of the best snow on the planet, great runs, good food and much more. There is nothing better then spending a day out in the white room with your best friends, have a ski partner with you and even if you have to wait a bit at times it simply doesn’t matter.
The Urban Dictionary defines No Friends on Powder Days as: “One has no friends on a powder day (meaning the good snow conditions trump all family and friend relationships.” I can relate to the term “no friends on powder days” in how I felt about winning Australia’s first Winter Olympic Gold Medal. Initially I didn’t know how to feel, could I accept that gold medal? Did I deserve to stand on the podium? I decided right then and there to take that medal for me, for all the hard work I had put in leading up to that moment and for most people in Hakuba who have come from far and wide, many have worked hard to be there, standing at the top of the mountain with nothing but fresh powder below you. It’s your Gold Medal moment and a time to reward yourself. It is time to say “this is for me”.… so enjoy the exhilaration as you ski or board through the powder again and again. If you have friends or family with you that aren’t as proficient or don’t want to
ski in the powder let them know that you will see them at lunch or maybe you can recommend that they take a powder lesson while they are in Hakuba, good friends will always understand. You know what they say “that there are no friends on powder days”. Just remember to ride safe so you can enjoy the best part after a day in Japan Powder; the bragging about your powder adventure to all your friends over a beer or three. PS: I will be in Hakuba in March to enjoy
a week of boarding at Goryu/47 and Happo as well as some Heliskiing at Tsuigaike…… so see you in Hakuba.
Originally coming from a surfing background the snow forecasting variables have a strong resemblance to surf – It’s all about the indicators. When outside of your realm or away from familiar territory then you are reliant on a tip off by one the local boys (the internet can tell you
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things but it doesn`t know the area). As the years tick on and I am ever conscious that my time is limited. If there’s a good session to be had then that pre-planned big night gets shelved and priority takes to the elements. The immediate game plan becomes the quiet exit, home, bed early ready to avenge the following morning. Be this a fall line dotted with Japanese cedars or a winding barrel on an Indo reef no one needs to be handicapped when the consequences could end your trip instantly. The pattern in Hakuba normally begins the night before when beer in hand having an idle chat to a bunch of visitors I attentively look out the window seeking indicators, snow layering a post, a particular wind.......... “Boys thanks for the ales, gotta bail the wife just called!” I discount the comments “whereya goin?” as I remind myself nothing makes my heart sink further than staggering to the carpark after midnight to discover 3 foot of fresh on the bonnet. Hakuba and Bali in their early days had many similarities. In Bali masses would congregate at the drinking hole that night gloating about how well they had scored perfect waves this would translate in Hakuba to a slider raving about their first knee deep experience. In the “good ol days” there were few of us as well as the little desire for powder by the Japanese, it took nearly a week with no fresh snow for the closer ski areas to become tracked out before heading out to the reserve banks at Cortina. We could generally ride 10 days of untouched within the 10 resorts before it really needed to dump again. Now like Bali`s Bukuit Peninsular is populated with luxury houses Hakuba has daily powder bus tours to Cortina. But ask me where I went today or where I am going tomorrow and I will tell you “Cortina”, cause I have learnt that really there are no friends on a powder day.
This phrase means many different things to many different people but universally, it means getting up early to be first in line for the lift and not waiting for your mates when they are late. So what happens when you are the only one to turn up? This happened to me at the beginning of the season a few years back and even with 60 winters under my belt I made an error in judgement. By myself, beginning of the season, I decided to stay in bounds and just go to the spots where the crowds don’t. I have always read and heard of bottomless snow. I have skied chest deep powder hundreds of times, but nothing like this day. This had been the mountain opening storm, it had snowed about 1.8m (reported) over the previous 2 days and there was no snow base under this new fall. At the top of the mountain it was definitely deeper and though it was over 6’ deep, I was still touching bottom between turns. It was truly bottomless, which became really obvious when my ski tip went under something on the ground coming to a dead stop. Somewhere up the hill I had a ski deep under snow. All I had to do was ‘swim’ up and get it. But this snow just didn’t compact, meaning 45 minutes to go 10 m up the hill, and then I had to find it. I’m used to digging other peoples gear out and helping them up, and many times skis have never been found. Thankfully I eventually found mine, but I wish I had a buddy with me that day, I would have loved to have a friend on that powder day. www.hakubaconnect.com
I am really focused on my two businesses, Back Country Tours at Falls Creek in the Australian winter months, which are snowmobile assisted back country riding, lots of fun. And of course working on building up the Hakuba trade, together with the Phoenix Hotel crew.
What is your favorite ski area in Hakuba? I would say Happo One, yes it is the biggest; however it also offers a lot of variety of terrain that offers great slopes for powder to beautiful long groomers, and its right by the Phoenix Hotel, which is my base, so very convenient as well. Hakuba Cortina is also fun, especially when you combined it with Hakuba Norikura, together they offer a lot of variety and aspect of slopes, always some nice semi hidden treasures to explore up the valley.
Are you a piste or powder guy? Regarded as Australia’s best ever alpine skier with a competitive career lasting just on 25 years. Steve is a 3 time Olympian and the second of only 3 Australians ever to claim victory on the Alpine World Cup circuit. In his travels he has seen most of the world, both cold and warm. Worked in the movies along side Roger Moore and stunt doubled for legendary action film star Jackie Chan. In TV he has vast experience commentating and hosting at 5 Olympic games becoming the voice of Australian winter sports. Steve can be found at the Phoenix Hotel where he is ambassador making dinner engagements and offering opportunities for guests to ski with him during their stay.
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As an ex racer, obviously I have spent a lot of time on groomed, hard packed, icy hills, but for pleasure it was always been the powder. Bottom line for me is I love to ski. A good groomer day on a fast pair of high performance or race skis is awesome. I still use a predominantly race style setup for my boots, so when I get out on some good skis the precision is right there. However it’s the powder experience we mostly come to Japan for, and because it is consistent, groomer days are few and far between. I do have a nice set of Rossingnol SuperG skis in my Japan quiver, along with my Rossigonol 98 Experience and S3’s for every day use.
Have you tried snowboarding? Yeah, snowboarded lots over the years, started in the very early days of the
sport, which seemed natural, as I am also a surfer. I actually built a snowboard while I was in high school. This was before snowboarding as sport was created. It was 1977 and I was only 14. It is around the same time Burton and Sims came up with their first board designs. I still have it at home. I only snowboard randomly now as there is so much variety in skiing now days for all conditions it doesn’t leave much time for anything else.
Are the rest of your family into skiing? Yes, all my family ski, including my mother still who is in her late 70’s. We all love it.
Doing winter sports uses up a lot of energy. What’s your ideal mountain lunch in Hakuba? I love the little house joint in the Snow Plaza at Sakka base, in the right corner as you walk in, the woman is always happy and offers a fantastic daily soup, which you can compliment with a variety of side dishes, a good feed and great value. High Cascade (renamed Indian Summer for the 2011-2012 season –Ed) is also a really good option, lots of variety there. Overall there are lots of options, I tend to go with the local cuisine for lunch, which is offers decent servings, is relatively cheep and really does the job for me. If you are
skiing at Hakuba Cortina, make sure you do the lift/lunch/Onsen pass, which is an amazing deal. Also important to have lots of water on board, I ski with a pack that contains a couple of liters of water, which is always empty at the end of the day.
Is there an off season for you? Yeah, in between the northern and southern winters, so from mid October to mid December and again from mid April to June.
What’s a typical day in Hakuba like for you? My day kicks off with a nice breakfast at the Phoenix hotel, a perfect start as I get to look straight out at the mountain. I always do weather and snow conditions check online morning and night, I’m a bit of a weather junkie, so like to stay on top of that aspect, which generally determines the daily options on the mountain. When I have guests for the day I make sure they have all the gear they need and its in good working order and off we go. Ride the morning, break for lunch and then continue for the afternoon session. I tend to end the day with a couple of easy runs to wind down as my crew do get tired. I also shoot stills and video throughout the day, so I head back to the hotel to compile and edit a little video of the day then meet the guest for some après back at the Phoenix and premier the video. The guests love this and it generates future business as well.
You seem like the type of person who doesn’t sit down for a long time. What’s next? Well, I am really focused on my two businesses, Back Country Tours at Falls Creek in the Australian winter months, which are snowmobile assisted back country riding, lots of fun. And of course working on building up the Hakuba trade, together with the Phoenix Hotel crew. In between the seasons I try to surf lots, which is a great complimentary sport to skiing, especially when doing back to back winter seasons.
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The easiest way to join the world of “roopers” is hook up with Lion Adventures and go on one of their snowmobile tours. They will pick you at your accommodation or at a central meeting stop and whisk you across Nagano to the Shiga Kogen area. They have full use of wide ski area complete with groomed cat tracks and usually some deep powder to play in. If necessary, Lion will kit you out in full winter weather gear and a helmet. Ski or snowboard clothing is fine, so you can just bring your own. Given that you’ll be stopping for instruction and orientations, maybe dress a little warmer than normal for skiing. Sturdy boots are also advisable, but snowboard boots will do. Don’t forget your gloves. If you have any questions about gear, Lion will be happy to answer them when you book. Each course starts with a guide taking you through the safety features of Lion’s bright yellow SkiDoos. They are all new and have a top speed of around 60km per hour. The sleds are easy to ride and most beginners master the basics very quickly. The guides will show you how to position your body weight for stability on a slope or over bumpy terrain. Snowmobiles have an automatic gearbox, so there is no clutch and you ride them more like a jetski or a large moped than an actual motorbike. All you have to do is twist the throttle. Most tours start with the guides getting you to do a few figures of eight at the bottom of the hill. The progression then continues onto some laps of groomed cat tracks on the mountain. Once you’re all fit and able, it’s time to hit the offpiste! Imagine doing that on your first morning skiing. You’d be half buried within seconds! Once off the trails and in powder, the snowmobiles ride like a snowboard or fat skis, all mellow and surfy. As you get the feel of how to ride a sled, you can start to attack more terrain. Lunch is inside the warm lodge at the base of the ski area exclusively used for Lion Adventure. For our trip, they offered us a choice of curry or noodles. It was just the job to warm us up and get us ready for more action. After lunch, it’s back on the sleds for more fun and thrills. As the group gets more proficient, the mountain really starts to open up to you. Once this second session has finished and you’ve made your way back down, that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the trip. The guys from Lion finish things off by taking you down the valley to the Jigokudani Monkey Park, home of the world famous Snow Monkeys. After all that high-octane excitement, it’s cool to watch someone else playing in the snow and relaxing in their own onsen. Just make sure you’ve got some memory and power left in your cameras. The little furry fellas are cute as they come and will let you get right up close. They make everyone very snap happy!
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Beep,- beep,- beep – No it’s not the obscenities coming from my mouth, or my heart beating like it’s going to explode, it is the beeps that signal it’s 5 seconds to go time at the start gate of Hakuba Happo-one’s famous Riesen Slalom race. Happo-one ski school, one of the most respected in Japan, gave me a call and asked me if I would like to try my hand at one of Japan’s most famous and oldest ski races. I thought that turning around a few poles can’t be that hard so I responded with a loud “hai”, Japanese for yes. I was to learn that it was little harder than I thought. Before the big race I go for a ski and run a few gates with Shayne Coomber of Allure Alpine Academy (AAA racing) who coaches athletes from all over Australia and New Zealand through the “down under” off season. After skiing down a few times Shayne advises me that a straight line between the gates is not the fastest way to the bottom! The idea is make the tightest carve turn around the gate that you can without skidding so that you can spend as much time gliding as possible. If I ski too straight at the gates I need to turn sharper than my skis are able and by ‘skidding’ I am ‘braking’. So the prescription to cure my racing ill’s is practicing carving as tight as possible (which means laying it over and having a lot of fun) out on the hill and working on learning what my skis can do in the gates. Easy hah??? I turn up on race with my “best” non-powder skis and receive my race bib – 723. Surely, I think, there can’t be 722 ski racers flying down the course before me, as I am not the greatest mogul skier in the world! It seems I am in category 6, over 40’s with a slot number 123. Now that’s more like it. First we “slip” the course. This serves two purposes. Firstly it
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is so we know where the course goes and apparently, Shayne says I am supposed to remember the whole course and visualize where I need to go between the start and finish of the course… the second is to take all the soft fresh snow off the top, which does not sound good, as hard snow hurts when you fall, just ask any Australian skier! I get a bearing where the gates are positioned. One red and the next one blue and so on. It is now I am thinking that my idea of a slalom course which is basicaly short turns is in fact more of a World Cup downhill race course. I cast my mind back to the 1998 Nagano Olympics held at Happo-one, where downhill race legend, Herman Maier had his spectacular wipeout. I hope I don’t follow the same fate! Though it has to be said that Maier won 2 gold medals later that same week. The race starts at the top of the Riesen course at Usgaidaira Gondola station and doesn’t finish until you get to the bottom of Nakiyama base area home to Happo-one ski school. The race now in its 66th year Riesenslalom is actually the German word for Giant Slalom, which is really funny, because as I mentioned the Hakuba Riesenslalom is actually more like a downhill course! The event is held over two days and features many ex- Japanese Olympians. First to go are the over 60’s. Wow these guys attack the course like they are 40 years younger. At the final gate I see the exhaustion etched in their faces. Many are unable to stand because of wobbly legs and literally fall over after passing the finish line. I watch my good friend Tetsu Fukushima, owner of the Meteor group of lodges. He is dressed head to toe in a lycra ski racing suit, commonly known as a cat suit in the racing industry. His time is very competitive and I know what time to beat for bragging rights! Tetsu explains to me that this is his 15th race. He mentions that during the ski bubble of the late 80’s early 90’s the course inspection would commence as soon as the first light of dawn showed over the mountains and that racing would begin at 6:00am and not finish until the lifts closed. Nowadays a more sensible time of 9:00 starts the race.
As I make my way to the start gate, a little voice in my head cries to me not to be afraid – it’s only a 600 meter vertical drop on nearly sheet ice, the snow is long gone! I am counted down with the final beeps and with a little push I’m off! Only a little push as I want to get my bearings before I reach the breathtaking speeds of over 60km per hour. I reach the first red gate in a matter of seconds, though it feels more like milliseconds. I try to think back to what Shayne drilled into me, not to go straight at the gate and to take my time and carve, no panicked throwing the ski sideways. Easier said than done when you are edging as hard as you can on sheet ice. I find myself in a good rhythm and getting into the tuck or crouch position between turns. I hurl myself down “The Wall” the steepest slope on Happo-one at 38 degrees, my legs are starting to tire but I can see the finish line ahead. It looks like about 200 people have turned up to watch my final turns. I can’t fall now. I won’t fall now. I pass the finish line in a blur of speed and do my best stop in front of the polite clapping crowd but in my mind they are cheering loudly. My legs are wobbly but I don’t fall over and more importantly I have a grin as wide as Happo mountain! My time displays on the board 1.53.06; not bad for a first timer and finish 50th in a total of 130 racers. Will I be back next year? You bet I will, but this time I will be decked out in a full racing suit and racing skis – now where did I leave my credit card.
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Here
at Hakuba Connect we are big believers in using the ski school as opposed to teaching kids to ski on your own. Good, kid-focused ski instructors are trained to connect with your children and teach them core skills while keeping it fun and safe. Kids all learn differently; some are visual, others are auditory, others again are kinesthetic. Professional instructors have an array of techniques to meet your child’s specific needs. Many parents who have skied all their lives will still not know how to teach the mechanics of skiing. Happo-one ski school, Evergreen Outdoor Center and Hakuba Snow Sports all have native English speaking instructors.
Hopefully you will not get separated from your
children, but just in case, it is wise to arrange a meet-up spot in advance. Keep the landmark simple and easy to spot, such as a restaurant, gondola or piste marker. It is also a good idea to write the name of your accommodation and their phone number on a piece of paper in a secure pocket of your child’s ski suit.
Kid Ski Free Keep it FUN!!
Children under elementary school age (i.e., up to six years old) can ride the lifts for free at all the Hakuba ski resorts. Moreover watch out for “Kids Days”, mainly on Sundays, where the bigger kids can also ski for free.
Halfpipes jumps and rail slides are the way to go for the teenagers. Hakuba 47 has the best park in the valley with Happo-one’s Freestyle slowly catching up.
Best Eats for Kids
Here’s a list of of restaurants serving up some familiar tastes.
Hakuba Goryu:
Subway and Haagen Daaz are located in the Escal Plaza base area. There is MOS Burger over at Iimori Base area. MOS means Mountain Ocean & Sky.
Hakuba 47: Luis has great selection of freshly baked pizza. Happo-One: SnowPlaza at Sakka Base Area do great home-made burgers. Tsugaike Kogen : K.F.C. Hakuba Cortina: Make your own pizza. Kids will love it ! Days Off Kids get tired. Why not treat them to a visit to the lovable snow monkeys? They’re about 90 minutes from Hakuba. Tours leave most days. Please contact Ski Japan Holidays or Sanroku Tours.
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Best Ski Runs for Kids Check out our resort guide for runs of a suitable ability for your children. For parents with little ones, Hakuba’s larger resorts offer more child-related services, have playrooms, dedicated sledging areas, and a better selection of food. For families with older children skiing together, smaller resorts like Sanosaka and Iwatake offer deserted slopes and cheap lift tickets. For novice skiers and snowboarders, the lack of other people whizzing past can be a key factor in developing confidence. It’s also reassuring for watching parents.
Rental Advice Kids grow up quickly, so renting makes sense for many families. Since fitting can be tricky with young ones, we recommend using the larger specialized rental providers in town. For adults skiing with young children, short skis referred to as “snowblades” (or “fun skis” by Japanese ) are fine for onpiste and are much easier to carry with your kids’ gear. Some even come with snowboard bindings.
Mix it up! Most resorts have a sledging or tubing area with equipment provided. Goryu’s is on the Iimori side, while Hakuba47 will tow you in a tube behind a snowmobile over a bumpy course. Happo’s kid area is at Sakka and has a free banked tubing course. Be warned that once kids try tubing, you may struggle to get them back on skis! Also look out for dedicated snowball makers on sale in many shops in town. Perfectly round snowballs every time!
Baby Sitting Services Evergreen Outdoor Center have on mountain baby care services. Espoir Misawa Lodge in Tsugaike Kogen has babysitting services for hotel guests.
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Though mountains are great to look at and fabulous to play on, they can give your legs and indeed your whole body a hard workout. After a long journey here or a big day on the slopes, treat yourself to one of Hakuba’s massage and spa treatments to revive your tired muscles, ease any lingering tension, and bring true relaxation to your holiday.
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With more options appearing every year, Hakuba Connect have selected a few to help you on the road to spa heaven! The spa at the Tokyu Hotel offers a variety of aroma massages in combination with their natural hot spring or “onsen” as they are called in Japan. Onsen water is naturally high in minerals and can really help the body recover after an awesome day of riding on the mountain. It is the number one Japanese après ski activity. Modern, chic, and spotlessly clean, the onsen at the Tokyu offers a very comfortable introduction to Japanese bathing. Its lovely outdoor rock pool is particularly impressive. The aromatherapy treatments at the Tokyu Hotel include a full body massage, leg, shoulder massages or you can opt for a combination of all. Thai massage is more energizing and rigorous than other classic forms of massage. Thai massage is believed to have been developed by a physician to Buddha, more than 2,500 years ago in India. The healing techniques of Thai massage embrace the four states of mind: loving kindness, compassion, joy, and balance. Thai massage has been called “The Yoga Done For You” for the therapeutic stretches and pressing applied to your feet, legs, body, arms, and head while you rest comfortably on the floor, fully clothed, except for bare feet. Thai massage has its roots in a spiritual tradition, and its purpose is to heal a person physically, emotionally and spiritually. In Hakuba, Thai massage is available at Bangkok-ya, just around the corner from the cozy Thai restaurant. The restaurant is run by fun-loving Kaz, an avid telemarker who spends the off seasons in his beloved Thailand. There are numerous massages available from traditional Thai massages and Thai reflexology to hot stone healing. Various packages are available, including special discounts for couples. The Ridge Hotel in Wadano is offering a wide range of treatments this year including acupuncture which harnesses the 5000-year-old knowledge of “qi” (life force) through the meridians of the body to promote health and relieve pain. Energy is manipulated through the expert placement of fine needles in specific points to alleviate pain and achieve balance and harmony in the body. A session at The Ridge can involve simple massage or incorporate acupuncture, cupping and moxibustion. Cupping therapy uses suction cups on areas where pain and tightness of the muscles are experienced. This provides a deep tissue-style massage and promotes better circulation of qi and blood through the body. Moxibustion forms part of traditional Chinese medicine and is often used in association with acupuncture and massage. Specific regions (usually acupuncture points) of the body are warmed to cause strengthening and/or unblock energy flow.
Aromatherapy at Hakuba Tokyu Hotel is an escape from the daily grind of the world outside. Relax in the complimentary natural hotspring before indulging in an aromatherapy body massage. Let the natural essentil oils revitalize your body and mind.
If you are based in Hakuba Goryu then Relax Salon Fushya (080-3271-6397) offer full head and foot massages in the comfort of your own hotel room. The service can also include invigorating facials. www.hakubaconnect.com
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Getting naked, hot and wet with a bunch of total strangers is perhaps the most quintessentially Japanese thing to do. There are several of onsen (natural thermal hot springs) scattered the length of the Hakuba Valley. The mineral content of almost every onsen in Hakuba is slightly different, and many onsens use the healing effects of their particular mineral mix in their marketing. A trip to Hakuba is not complete without a trip to the onsen. Step 1 Undress slowly and calmly, taking care to fold your clothes and place them neatly in the basket or locker provided. Step 2 Remove your towel from its packaging - it will probably be no bigger than a handkerchief. This towel is meant to hide your genitals, to rub a soapy foam on your body, or to cool your forehead in the hot bath. Step 3 Wash and rinse before you enter the bath - this is done while kneeling or seated on a small stool, and bowls are provided. This is one of the most important steps - bathing without first washing yourself is considered the height of rudeness. Scrub like you’ve never scrubbed before. Step 4 Enter the bath slowly and gradually, especially if you are in a large group. Upon entering the water, you may loudly exclaim your pleasure, and discuss its quality. You will then slowly relax as the hot bath washes over you. Step 5 After a dip, you can then exit the bath to scrub your body (or someone else’s) once more, until you reach a boiled red or purple color. You may then reenter the bath, and repeat.
FOOSH! While in après ski resort bars this may be the sound skiers make to recant their best turn or take off for a jump in medical circles it is an abbreviation for ‘Fall on out-stretched hand’. The reason why there is a universal acronym for note taking is that it is a very common way to cause an upper limb injury. As most people will know snowboarding involves quite a bit of foosh-ing, especially amongst learners, in fact one study showed 43% of those with wrist injuries were boarding for the very first time. It has been said that in a ski resort everyone you see with crutches is a skiers and everyone you see in a sling is a boarder and there is a certain amount of truth to that. Wrist injuries are the most common when falling onto the hand. The wrist is the single most common site of injury amongst snowboarders - an area that is rarely injured whilst alpine skiing. Many times in Hakuba Physio we see boarders come in to tell us that they fell on their wrist, but “it’s not fractured because I can still move it a little”. Sure enough when we convince them to get an X-ray, it is indeed fractured. As 75% of wrist injuries are fractures it’s a good rule of thumb (wrist?) to assume it’s a fracture unless proven otherwise. So how do we prevent this all too common injury? Falling with the fist clenched in the hope that the impact is absorbed over a wider surface area and by several structures has been suggested. However, there is no evidence to support this theory and, because falls can occur so quickly, who would really remember to do this in the split second of a fall? Wrist guards have often been recommended, but many people will tell you not to wear them as they “move the fracture further
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up the arm”, or “make the break bigger when it does go”, so let me finally lay these chestnuts to rest. Several laboratory and field based studies have proven beyond doubt that wrist braces are effective in reducing fractures. Four studies ‘harvested’ both forearms and hands from cadavers one fitted with a brace and the other without, and both subjected to increasing loads to see when they would fracture. The load required to cause a fracture was more than three times larger in the wrist fitted with a brace. In field studies, the Colorado Snowboard Injury Survey, collated information from over 7000 snowboard injuries, this study demonstrated that snowboarders wearing wrist guards were half as likely to injure their wrists as snowboarders not wearing guards. In Norway two groups of first-time snowboarders were compared - 551 wearing guards the researcher gave them and 1800 who did not wear guards (acting as the control group). No wrist injuries were seen in the group wearing guards, compared to 40 such injuries in the group without guards on. One problem is that there is a lack of standardization in guards. Look for ones that are larger and with a degree of flexibility. The French model Flexmeter are the best. So there is really no excuse for not wearing your guards, especially if you are a first time boarder. Best of luck out there fooshing!
Bevan Colless is the founder of Tokyo Physio, Niseko Physio and Hakuba Physio. Bevan and his team of physiotherapists are Australian trained and specialise in winter sports injuries.
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Japan’s best-known culinary export must be sushi. Though not widely known, sushi actually hails from the Mekong Delta and in its original form, the rice was not consumed. Rice was packed together with fresh fish so as to ferment into vinegar that would preserve the fish. Eating the rice with the fish only came much later, and spread thanks to the invention of rice vinegar, still in use in modern sushi rice. Winter visitors to Japan are lucky in that many of the fish used for sushi and served alone as sashimi will be at their peak due to the relatively higher fat content. Everyone has their own favourites, but seafood popular with Japanese in winter includes varieties of yellowtail (hamachi, buri, kanpachi), the notorious blowfish (fugu, or in its sashimi form, tessa), and crab (kani). Nagano’s contribution to the enjoyment of raw fish comes in the production of wasabi, the green radish that graces every plate of sashimi and many forms of sushi, though it can be omitted on request. Most Japanese parents do so for their children. Some popular sushi to try in Hakuba
Fatty yellowtail – buri, tuna – maguro, boiled shrimp – mushi ebi, scallop – hotate, salmon roe – ikura, sea urchin – uni, squid – ika, tuna roll – tekka maki.
The classic local food in Nagano is soba, thin brown noodles made of buckwheat, a crop grown locally. Buckwheat has distinctive yellow or white flowers and grows quickly, allowing two harvests a year even in Hakuba where the fields spend much time under snow. Soba noodles can be eaten hot in a warming fish broth flavoured with bonito or cold on a tray with a stronger soy-based dipping sauce. Typical accompaniments include spring onion, wasabi radish, ground sesame seeds, tempura prawns and vegetables, wild mushrooms, and thin slices of fried tofu. Soba noodles are filling enough to be a meal in themselves. The lack of gluten in buckwheat makes the kneading of the flour into noodles a rare art, and means the best soba restaurants still prepare their noodles by hand. At around 18%, buckwheat is very high in protein and can be eaten by even the most health-conscious. For the rest of us though, the temptation to pair it with tempura is hard to resist. As a recent development, Hakuba has embraced an alternative buckwheat dish, galettes, French-style pancakes where the nutty flavour of buckwheat adds a savoury dimension compared to normal crepes. Chefs at many restaurants and hotels around town have developed their own interpretations of galettes, so pick up the leaflet at Tourist Information and see which one takes your fancy.
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Until the arrival of the Black Ships that opened Japan to the world in 1853, beef was not consumed in this country. It is therefore remarkable that two signatory dishes in Japanese cuisine, shabu-shabu and sukiyaki, are centered on wagyu, or domestically-produced beef. The former involves swirling paper-thin slices of beef in a hotpot before dipping in one of two contrasting sauces, a light citrus/soy combination called ponzu and a heavy cream made of ground sesame. For sukiyaki, the meat is sliced slightly thicker and stewed with vegetables in soy sauce, sugar and sweetened rice wine. The
dipping sauce for sukiyaki is a beaten raw egg. Both dishes make full use of the principal character of Japanese beef, its melt in the mouth tenderness. This comes from the extensive marbling of fat, sometimes credited to feeding regimes that include beer and regular massaging of the cows. Wagyu is not limited to Japanese dishes however, and the meat produces excellent steak that can be enjoyed in many restaurants and hotels around Hakuba. All that marbling means it may well be the juiciest, tenderest steak you’ve ever eaten. Compared to New York-style steaks, wagyu usually comes in small cuts, but we think the richness of the meat will make up for that and more. Be sure to give it a try!
Japanese people retain a strong sense of seasonality regarding food. The limited insulation of many Japanese homes may be a factor, but the most popular winter dishes are all foods that will really warm you up! Top of the pile are nabe hotpot dishes, which come in infinite varieties but all involve throwing ingredients into a communal crockpot heated at the table using a portable stove. It’s a great way to eat with friends! Another classic winter warmer for those out and about is raamen, the Japanese take on Chinese noodles where the use of pork, chicken stock, and miso paste makes for a heartier dish and more creative variations than with soba noodles. Miso also finds its way into a classic Japanese winter soul food, a pork and vegetable-heavy form of miso soup called tonjiru. If you’re at Hakuba 47 when the cowgirls are handing it out, get in the line and grab yourself a bowl. Yeehaw! For the cheapest and fastest way to warm your hands and tummy, we recommend skipping on the hot coffee in a can and instead spending that 100 yen or so on a nikuman, a Chinese steamed bun filled with pork. They’re available at the resorts and every convenience store in Japan, who’ve also come up with curry and pizza(!) versions. Maybe it’s best to just stick with the pork…. www.hakubaconnect.com
For the upcoming Japanese winter season, December 2011 through to March 2012, Michael Ryan of Provenance Restaurant, located in the historic town of Beechworth, Victoria, Australia, will be consulting to Mimi’s Restaurant in Hakuba. Michael is to oversee the menu design and kitchen operations. Head chef at Mimi’s will be Hamish Nugent, Hamish was Michael’s 2nd chef at his previous restaurant. Michael and Hamish are both looking forward to the opportunity to work with the amazing produce available in Japan, in particular the food and produce of the Nagano area. Nagano is considered to be one of the food bowls of Japan-famous for it vegetables, pork, beef and miso. The heirloom vegetables of Kyoto, or kyo-yasai, will be an important part of the menu. The north coast of Japan is only 100km from Nagano and with its extensive selection of seafood from the Sea of Japan. Hakuba is some distance from the unfortunate situation in Eastern Japan and all seafood is sourced from the Sea of Japan. Michael’s main goal for the restaurant is to create a menu with a ‘sense of place’ but which is also reflective of his experiences. It will be a menu that will be a product of his time as a chef in Australia and its open approach to food, but will be truly reflective of its location. Both Hamish and Michael are looking forward to the further exposure to Japanese ingredients and techniques that this job will bring and the influence it will have on their respective restaurants back in Australia.
On the Olympic Road just along from the Seven-Eleven, you’ll find a little log cabin, a caravan and a big tent (the “base camp”) that make up “Little Alaskan & Small Cabin”, the place to go in Hakuba for delicious hand-made hamburgers. Owner and chef Kohei Amamiya is a snowboarder who went to high school in Alaska. Since coming back to Japan, he’s been involved in guiding, arranging tours and various media activities to promote the Alaskan snowboarding scene in Japan. As his own little slice of Alaska, he started the restaurant in April 2010 and has decorated it in keeping with the places he saw in AK. Some American pros were round there last season and a video of them saying, “This is just like Valdez!” made its way onto the skiing website TGR. For a laid-back beer and the comforting taste of flame-grilled 100% beef patties, drop by and see him.
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Kohei’s proudest creation is his “Big! AK burger”. It’s an Alaskan-sized doubledecker with onion rings, red cheddar cheese, bacon, and sautéed mushrooms topped with spicy smoked barbecue sauce and cream dressing. Plenty of juicy goodness so watch it doesn’t dribble on your jacket! Put some fries on the side and you’ll be all set for a big night out. Echoland is only ten minutes walk away, so Little Alaskan is a great place to get things started. Kohei’s commitments mean he’s not around all the time, but he tries open every day in winter from 12:00 till 20:00. 090-4282-7727 (phone order available) littlealaskan@aol.jp http://littlealaskan.blog.so-net.ne.jp/
After a day being a king on the mountain, you can also eat like one at the aptly-named Sanno, meaning King of the Mountains in Japanese. Sanno only opened their doors to hungry skiers and boarders two years ago, but it has already become established as one of our favourites. Conveniently located next to Echoland Onsen, Sanno combines a relaxing ambience, great hospitality, and fantastic food. The building is split into a cozy bar area where you’ll find a bar counter, an old-fashioned woodstove, and sounds from the likes of Frank Sinatra, and a larger restaurant area where oil lamps and a muted palette combine to produce a soothing and very adult atmosphere. This area has seating for up to fifty, and so is ideal for those dining in groups. Dining at Sanno is all about their course menus centered on Wagyu beef. For you ardent foodies, they use Yonezawa-gyu beef from Japanese Black cattle sourced from Yamagata Prefecture. The steaks are all rated as A4 and A5, the highest rankings in the Japanese system which grades meat on factors like fat distribution, colour, and luster. Japanese people have a habit of making “Top Three” lists, and the top three for beef is Kobe, Matsuzaka, and Yonezawa. In layman’s terms, Sanno serve up the real thing! As for the taste, the consistent marbling of fat through the meat gives it a world-famous melt-in-the-mouth tenderness and provides a juicy explosion of umami with every bite. Sanno fry their steaks to perfection in heavy cast-ironware and serve them on piping hot skillets for enjoyment of the meat at its finest. For accompaniment, they have a fine selection of Australian wines, but you can always “go local” and just have beer. Japanese love beer with food, meat in particular. Hakuba may be a resort area, but Sanno’s menus are very reasonably priced given the exceptionally high quality of the produce. The chef recommends diners try the Sano Course which includes soup, a side salad, a skillet with portions of rib, rump, and fillet steak, home-made bread, dessert, and coffee for 5,300 yen. Even though it is the customers own choice, a Sano wagyu steak cooked to medium will enable the diner to experience the full effect of the delicious flavors. We don’t know how much it would cost to eat similar quality meat in Sydney or Hong Kong, but we guess it would be far higher. In London, we doubt you’d even find the same quality.
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MAP A-2
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MAP C-5
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Where can you listen to live music, watch a 3-D movie, and throw down to a Michael Jackson theme party all in the same day? Visit The Penke Après Bar and find out! Located at Happo One, a few steps from the Sakka Express, this cozy artsy nook is the perfect place to chill after a full day of ski fun.
Introducing featured recording artist Amy Cunningham preforming nightly from Dec 20 to January 27, 2012. "Cunningham’s music is tranquil and soothing with a regional feeling for folk/country forms ...Her voice has a calming effect reminiscent of Jewel around the edges." VERNON MORNING STAR/Vernon, BC.
The colorful canvas-lined walls are painted on the premises by visiting talented artists. If you are lucky you might catch an artist in action creating a masterpiece and if you are an artist talk to Juzzi, he may hook you up with a canvas! Missed Avatar on the big screen? Not to worry, I see you. 3-D movies run daily in a private viewing area with Avatar showcasing every Sunday night. Other screens offer the latest and the greatest ski related flicks so you can pick up tips from the pro’s while relaxing with friends. Need a lift back to your lodge? No problem. Pick up and drop off service available for accommodation around Happo. At Penke cozy is extended out-of-doors into the surrounding snowy paradise. Warm your toes on an out-side fire pit while planning that perfect outfit for one of the monthly themed parties. Michael Jackson, Tight and Bright, Flurro…Humm...what to wear? Outrageousness encouraged and rewarded! Check out the website for a complete listing of events. www.penkebar.com Don’t miss out on Penke’s First Birthday Bash on December 30. Save the date!
Stop in prior to a big night out to experience the best pre-party launch. Shuttle service is on hand to happily drop you off at the next installment of your big night out at The Pub, UFO Stadium and Tracks Bar. Open daily from Dec 20 to March 15, 2012, 3pm to midnight. Oh yeah…2 for 1 Happy Hour from 3 to 4pm EVERY DAY!
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HAKUBA HAPPO-ONE
LOOPBUS LEFT-LINE
LOOPBUS RIGHT-LINE
ROUTE A
ROUTE B
07:45- 10:15 Every 30 mins 15:15 - 16:45 Every 30 mins 11:15 - 14:15 Every hour Happo Information Center Mount Tokyu Hotel Mominoki Hotel Kokusai Base Area Happo Gondola Dai San Car Park Nakiyama Base Area Happo Information Center
08:00 - 10:00 Every 30 mins 15:00 - 17:00 Every 30 mins 11:00 - 14:00 Every hour Happo Information Center Mount Dai San Car Park Nakiyama Base Area Happo Gondola Kokusai Base Area Mominoki Hotel Tokyu Hotel Mount Happo Information Center
7:58 8:38, 9:18 9:58 10:58, 11:58 Cultured Minami Jujisei Misorano Area 5 Happy Bell Echoland Rotary Weather Report Shakespeare Hotel Echo Mall Mizuho Nakiyama Base Area Happo Info. Center Iwatake 13:00 , 14:00, 15:00 15:40, 16:20, 17:00
8:00- 10:20 Every 20 mins
ROUTE 4
ROUTE 5
8:30, 9:30, 10:30 Villla Hakuba La Neige Higashi Gakuto Tokyu Hotel Hotel Ogiya Happo Information Center Hakuba 47
8:15, 9:15, 10:15 Mominoki Hotel Mon Chalet Hokujo Hakuba Springs Hotel Yamano Hotel Goryu Kan Panorama Hotel Hakuba 47
13:30, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00
13:30, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00
SAKA BASE AREA
08:00- 10:00 Every 30 mins 11:00, 12:00, 13,12 Happo Information Center Mount
Tokyu Hotel Mominoki Hotel Gakuto 12:11, 13:00, 14:00 La Neige Saka Base Area 15:00 - 17:00 Every 30 mins
HAKUBA 47
ROUTE 2
8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 Shakespear Hotel Weather Report Echoland Rotary Coffee Morikawa Goryu Hon Dori Nishi Minami Jujisei Cultured Pine Cone Hakuba 47
8:30 9:30 Traumerei Meteor Budoya Alpine Chalets Hakuba 47 13:30, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00
Alpine Chalet Pine Cone Cultured Traumerie Cherry Pub Echo Mall Mizuho 7/11 P-Bo Kounso Hotel Hakuba Nakiyama Base Area Happo Info. Center Iwatake 13:00, 14:00, 15:00,15:30 16:00,16:20, 16:40, 17:00
ROUTE D
8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 14:00 Alpine Chalets Seven Eleven Kajikura Minami Jujisei Goryu Hon Dori Nishi La Foret Echoland Rotary Weather Report Shakespeare Hotel Cultured/ Pine Cone Goryu Escal Plaza 13:30, 15:30, 16:30, 17:30
ROUTE 1
8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 12:30 Cultured Minami Jujisei Goryu Hone Dori Nishi Echoland Rotary Weather Report Shakespear Hotel Cherry Pub Meteor Traumerei Goryu Iimori 12:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00
IWATAKE
ROUTE F
8:30, 9:30, 10:30 Yamano Hotel Nakiyama Base Area Goryu Kan Panorama Hotel Hotel hakuba Shakespeare Hotel Echoland Rotary Weather Report Cultured Pine Cone Goryu Escal Plaza 13:30, 15:30, 16:30, 17:30
8:30, 9:30, 10:30 High Mount Hotel Villa Hakuba La Neige Higashi Gakuto Mominoki Hotel Tokyu Hotel Kofuku no mori Happo Information Center Goryu Escal Plaza 13:30, 15:30, 16:30, 17:30
ROUTE 2
ROUTE 3
12:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00
12:00, 14:00, 15:00 16:00, 17:00
ROUTE B
ROUTE F
8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 12:30 Hotel Hakuba Goryu Kan Panorama Hotel 7/11 Echo Mall Budoya Alpine Chalet Juro-no-yu Goryu Iimori
8:00- 10:20 Every 20 mins Alpine Chalet Pine Cone Cultured Traumerie Cherry Pub Echo Mall Mizuho 7/11 P-Bo Kounso Hotel Hakuba Nakiyama Base Area Happo Info. Center 13:00, 14:00, 15:00,15:30 Iwatake 16:00,16:20, 16:40, 17:00
7:50, 8:50, 9:50 12:30 Highland Hotel Royal Hotel Iimori Station Yamahachi P-Nishihara Chokokuji Temple Juro-no-yu Goryu Iimori
8:23, 9:13 10:03 Sakka Base Area La Neige Gakuto Mominoki Tokyu Hotel Iwatake 13:30, 14:35 15:35, 16:35
8:45 9:45, 10:45 Mominoki Hotel Tokyu Hotel Happo Info. Center Echo Mall Shakespeare Hotel Weather Report Saegusa Gallery Cultured Sanosaka 13:30, 14:30, 15:00 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 17:00
ROUTE 4
8:20, 9:20, 10:20, 12:30 Windy Villa Hakuba La Neige Gakuto Tokyu Hotel Mominoki Hotel Happo Info Center Taiyo Heights Goryu Iimori 12:00, 14:00, 15:00 16:00, 17:00 8:50, 10:40, 15:55, 17:30 Happo Information Center Iwatake Snowfield Tsugaike Kogen Alps Hotel (Norikura) Satomi Hakuba Cortina 7:55, 9:40, 15:00, 16:40 8:25, 9:05, 9:45, 10:25,12:05 15:05, 15:45, 16:25, 17:05 Happo Information Center Tsugaike Kogen 8:20, 9:00 9:40 10:20,12:00 15:00, 15:40, 16:20, 17:15, 17:30
TSUGAIKE / NORIKURA / CORTINA
ROUTE A
7:58 8:38, 9:18,9:58 10:58, 11:58 Cultured Minami Jujisei Misorano Area 5 Happy Bell Echoland Rotary Weather Report Shakespeare Hotel Echo Mall Mizuho Nakiyama Base Area Happo Info. Center 13:00 , 14:00, 15:00 Iwatake 15:40, 16:20, 17:00
ROUTE E
SANOSAKA
GORYU IIMORI GORYU ESCAL PLAZA
13:30, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00
Getting Around
Getting around in the evening is cheap and convenient with the Genki-go evening shuttle bus services. The buses circulate the resort from about 5pm to about 11pm The buses pass through all of the main accommodation centers, supermarkets and après ski areas. There are three routes, blue, red and green . Make sure you know what time the bus leaves to go back to your accommodation or it could be an expensive taxi ride or a long walk. The fare is 200 yen for both adults and children. Under sixes are free. The service runs from December 17th through to March 4th.
Car Rental
If you are confident about driving on the snow and ice then renting a car is great way of getting first tracks in the powder as well as doing day trips. All rental cars are 4wd and come fitted with snow tyres. All customers wishing to rent will need either a Japanese driver’s license or an international license with their passport. Without these cars cannot be rented. Car Rental Tel:0261-72-6663
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Ski Shuttle Buses
There are free ski shuttle buses to all the ski areas in the Hakuba Valley. Some buses will go direct to the ski areas, others you may have to change buses. Happo Bus Terminal is the most common location to transfer. Bus time tables sometimes change mid-season. Please check with your accommodation for times.
arrive Tokyo 15:00pm & Narita Airport 17:00. Bookings can be made online, through your accommodation, by phone or at the JHN travel office inside the Panorama Hotel. The one way trip is 9,900yen for adults and 7,500yen for children. See the back page of this magazine for more details. The service runs from December 17th to February29th.
Taxis
Shinkansen
There are taxi services in the resort. Expect to pay about 1500yen between Echoland and Wadano. Most of the drivers will not speak English so we recommend taking a business card of your accommodation or bilingual map with you. Hakuba Kanko Taxi 0261-72-2144 Alps Daichi Kotsu 0261-72-2221
Onward Travel
Nagano Snow Shuttle Nagano Snow Shuttle (0261- 75-5360) offer direct buses with plenty of luggage and leg space to both Tokyo City and Narita Airport. Buses leave daily from Happo bus terminal at 10:30am and
Buses leaving from Happo, Hakuba Train Station and Goryu Station can be taken to Nagano train station where you can connect with Shinkansen Bullet train services to Tokyo. Please ask at your accommodation for bus and shinkansen times and transfers.
Communications
Most hotels and lodges will either have computer terminals, wireless networks or both. Sanroku Tours information Center and Happo Information Center have computer terminals for rent. Bamboo cafĂŠ has free wireless internet access, locations near to Happo Gondola and Hakuba main train station.
Banking
There are international ATMs available in 7-Eleven convenience stores, one located on Olympic Road (MAP E-4) and the other on the main road between Goryu and Sanosaka (MAP C-1). These will take foreign issued cards and are open 24 hours. The ATM at the post office will also accept foreign issued cards but is only open during normal postal hours.
Credit Cards
Even though credit cards are becoming more and more widespread, cash is still the king in Japan. Most large restaurants, hotels, ski rental, ski schools will take credit cards. Japan is a relatively safe country, therefore we recommend carrying enough cash with you as a backup if your card is refused.
Supermarkets
There are three Supermarkets in Hakuba. Max Valu, formerly Jusco, is the largest. Here you will find groceries, a small range of clothing including wellington boots, 100 yen store, bakery, local produce
and souvenirs. Max Value is located on the main thoroughfare in Hakuba. Genki-go buses stop there (MAP G-1).
Pharmacy
Ohta Yakkoyku Pharmacy located very close to Hakuba main train station, carries a wide range of medicines and prescriptions. They speak English as well as having medical dictionaries on hand.
Hospitals & Clinics
Hakuba doesn’t have a hospital, the nearest one being in Omachi – about 30 minutes by car. There are a few clinics around the resort. No appointments are necessary. Shintani Clinic Tel: 0261-75-4177 Most of the on mountain accident patients usually end up here. Dr. Shintani speaks plausible English. Kurita Clinic Tel: 0261-72-2428 Family run clinic near to Hakuba main train station. Yokosawa Clinic Tel: 0261-72-2008, Located near Iwatake Ski Area. Hakuba Clinic Tel: 0261-75-4123 Located in the Goryu area of Hakuba.
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Most monkeys are happy swinging in the trees of tropical jungles, but not here in Nagano. For our monkeys, there’s nothing like soaking in a hot bath to ease their troubles away. One look at them relaxing in the tub, and it’s you who’ll be singing “Oobee doo! I wanna be like you!” Nicknamed the “snow monkeys”, these cheeky-looking animals are called macaques and have a much chillier existence than their tropical cousins. In fact, they are the most northly of all the primates, assisted no doubt by all that thick fur. Japanese monkeys live in forests and survive on a varied diet of berries, roots, nuts, bugs, and sometimes even fish. Monkeys are spotted occasionally here in Hakuba and are very common down the road in Omachi. A troupe living there has been tracked using GPS and was found to venture very high up into the mountains in summer in search of food.
Japan’s best known monkeys though have taken residence in Jigokudani, or “Hell’s Valley”, a volcanic spring in the Shiga Kogen area. Two groups of macaques were observed coming to bathe in a small hole that filled with hot spring water. This inspired locals to build a proper bath for the monkeys and in 1964, the Jigokudani Monkey Park was born. One troupe settled in the park, and can be seen year round, though peak viewing comes in winter when the numbers swell, the monkeys spend longer in the water, and the young can be seen playing in the snow. The monkeys are tame and at ease with their human visitors, so you can observe them and delight in their expressions at extremely close distances. The park is great for kids and a massive draw to photographers who can take memorable shots without waiting for hours or using big zoom lenses. Once out the tub, you can see how wiry they are under their fur. It’s quite a transformation. Trips run several times a week from Hakuba to the Jigokudani Park. It takes about two and a half hours to get there and once at the park, it’s about a twenty-minute walk along an often icy trail through the woods. Choose your footwear accordingly, and don’t forget your camera!
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The journey begins at any one station though we recommend commencing at either Nagano, Matsumoto or of course Hakuba. Within minutes of the train pulling away from the station you will be in open valleys with snow laden trees giving way to panoramic views of towering mountains and lakes frozen from the cold breath of winter. You view all this through large windows while you are nestled into your warm seat. Mounted digital cameras on the front of the train provide a drivers “eye view� on flat screen monitors installed in the carriages.
Hotaka Shrine is a wonderful place to get a sense of the unique Japanese culture. The shrine is surrounded by large trees that are famed for giving off energy and power. The shrine is also famous for the adjacent historical museum.
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If you are coming from Nagano or Matsumoto to Hakuba you will have the added treat of disembarking from the train and enjoying a guided tour to the impressive Hotaka Shrine, followed by a cultural performance onboard the train. A good selection of refreshments are offered throughout the trip. The train timetable is every Saturday and Sunday (except February 18 &19) as well as selected other dates throughout the winter season. You can book at any manned JR train station including Hakuba. JR Rail pass holders can ride using their passes.
Wasabi, Japanese horse radish is grown in Azumino. The popular tourist spot has beautiful watermills and a river running right through the farm. A restaurant offers wasabi flavored ice cream as well as other wasabi themed products.
This is one of the clearest and deepest lakes in all of Japan. The train passes by along the edge of the lake. The three main peaks of the Hakuba mountains are more often than not reflected on Aokiko’s surface on a fine day.
Zenkoji Temple is one of the most visited temples in Japan. It was founded over 1400 years ago and stores what many people believe to be the first Buddhist statue ever brought to Japan.
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by James Robb “Dropping!” he yelled out as the camera reels rolled into action, the heli hovered above and the perfect line opened up below him. Four or five massive turns, some sluff management and then straight-line-it out the bottom. Smiles and cheers all around, all in a days work for big mountain freerider right. Yeah they make it look so easy, and it makes us all want to do it like them. The allure of the the most epic lines and the freedom of fresh powder fields calls to pretty anyone who has spent any time on a snowboard or skis. Blazing your own trail and making your turns off a face is what off-piste skiing is all about. Accessing the backcountry terrain has also seen a real gain in popularity with split-boards, great touring skis and many companies flaunting other backcountry specific gear. However, having the ambition and ability to get into the backcountry does not always equate to the best choice for your longevity on this planet. Lots of snow = awesome, steep slopes = great terrain, put them together and you don’t always get the sweetest outcome. The snow slides of the mountain, you are in the way, end of story. In most cases, it is the skier or rider that triggers the slide that takes them or others out and the avalanche doesn’t care if you are a hot shit skier or not. Those who duck the posted ropes, ignore signs or venture outside of ski area boundaries should know that each year people die in Hakuba doing exactly the same thing. It is easy to get in over your head very easily and very quickly, but even with a small amount of knowledge and a healthy respect for these mountains, you can make wise decisions to reduce potential risks.
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The following questions and recommendations are a brief run down of what off-piste enthusiasts should be aware of prior to heading out.
Pre-trip Do you have proper training and experience to go outside of controlled resort areas? Do you know your route? Have a map & compass? Have an alternate route plan? Have you checked the weather for today, as well as the weather over the past week? Have you checked recent avalanche bulletins and reports? Do you understand them? Does your group have an experienced “leader” who can make informed decisions to ensure your group’s safety in and out of the backcountry? Do you have the appropriate gear for self-rescue? Is it in working condition? Have you informed someone of your planned route, back-up route and return time? Do you know emergency contact numbers in case of an accident? Do you have insurance? Backcountry rescues are expensive!
Gear Do all members of your party have appropriate winter clothing? Do all members of your party have the essential avalanche transceiver (beacon), probe and shovel? More importantly do they know how to use them in a rescue situation? Do you have a first-aid kit? Rescue gear? Cell phone? Radio? Emergency overnight gear? Do you have enough food and water? Do you have a method of ascending? Ski touring bindings & skins/snowshoes/split-board
During Trip If you are departing via a ski resort, did you fill out a trip route card? What is the weather doing now? Will this affect the stability of your intended route? Is everyone in your group comfortable with the terrain your route takes you into? Are you making safe and informed route decisions for your party? Are there other parties in the area? Will your route affect them? Will their route affect you? Who is above you/below you? Are there signs of recent avalanche activity? Whoomphing? Shooting cracks? Debris? Are you constantly reassessing the snow stability and your group’s ability? If you are unsure about the snow stability, stay to simple terrain away from avalanche start zones and run out zones and do not exceed your experience or ability! If you are unsure about the terrain it’s best to get a guide to take you safely out in the backcountry and enrolling an avalanche safety course is also a first step in acquiring knowledge that will invariably help you survive. Stay safe out there!
James Robb is a backcountry guide with Evergreen Outdoor Center.
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“No Skiing Zones” are areas where very dangerous avalanches are easily triggered. These areas are off limits. Violators will lose their lift priviledges. The Ski Patrol will occasionally enter “No Skiing Zones” to conduct safety checks and do avalanche control work. Passing under all ropes is strictly prohibited. We ask all guests to observe all posted signs and warnings, and to fillow the instructions of the Ski Patrol. The mountains beyond the ski area borders are National Park Land, and not managed by the ski areas. Venturing outside ski areas boundaries in winter is extremely dangerous. Any accident outside ski area boundaries that requires the search and rescue efforts of the Ski Patrol or the Kita-Alps Northern Mountains Safety Bureau will be at the full expense of the individual(s) requiring assistance. All guests must follow the instructions of the Ski Patrol and other authorites both within and outside the ski area. It is the responsibility of all guests to consider not only their own safety, but also the safety of others, at all times.
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THE AVALANCHE SKILLS TRAINING (AST) COURSES The Avalanche Skills Training (AST) courses have been developed by the Canadian Avalanche Center and are considered the international standard in recreational avalanche training. The AST trajectory is well suited to all backcountry recreationists whether skiing, boarding or snowmobiling. For anyone wanting to learn how to recognize avalanche terrain, how to choose safe routes in avalanche terrain and learn more about decision making and rescue, the AST 1 and AST 2 courses will provide you with a good base. Instructors: David Enright is the Director and Chief Guide at Evergreen Outdoor Center, NPO ACT (Avalanche Control Team) Founding Member and Forecaster, Professional Member of the Canadian Avalanche Association and has instructed on recreational & professional avalanche courses for over a decade in Japan and Canada. Bill Glude is the Director and Chief Industrial Consultant at Alaska Avalanche Specialists, Snow Scientist and creater of the AK Block test, Professional Member of the American Avalanche Association, veteran Avalanche Forecaster and Instructor for multiple Universities and Guide Schools in Alaska.
DATES English Courses: AST 1: Jan. 7,8 ; Feb. 4,5; March 10,11 AST 2: Jan. 7-11; Feb. 4,5,11,12,13; March 10-14 Japanese Courses: AST 1: Dec. 30,31; Jan. Feb. 18,19; March 17,18 AST 2: Feb. 18-22 March 17-21 For private dates or queries contact tours@evergreen-outdoors.com or call 0261-72-5150
The courses are run by Dave and Bill from Evergeen Outdoor Center
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The Th he trees are ma akking in ng a re resu res surg rgen encce, ce, and skiing has com me fu fullllll cir ircclle in n the last 100 yea arrss of th he sp s orrt’’s existence in Na agan no. o Sk Skiiiing’s roots were in the tre ee par ees, ardo don the pun, and so were th the pi the pion o ee eers of the e sport. In placess like; e; Ota ari Spa are rre ea, Tsugaike Nature e Pa Park arkk, a an nd Happ po o’’s Kurobishi. These se e ope pen areas we ere re high in elevattio i n n,, mos ostly clea earr of trees and receiv ivved d copio opio op ious amounts of snow, as sttill ilill stan sttan a d dss true today, and were heave ve en to make turns in. There were no lifts to these open glades and there was definitely no grooming. The men, and later the women, who skied these areas earned their turns by skinning up kilometers of steep forested terra ain. They would ski as many hours as they could fit in before the sun set et on the sub alpine zones where th they ey had worked so hard to reac ach h to perfected their powder turns. Bu Butt itt was the ride to the valley tha hatt th the e snow riders of then and no ow drrea e m of just the sa same. 1000 00 Meters vertical of skii skiiiin sk ng under the white e canopy of th the e gr g eat Beech, h Birch ch and Oa ak trree es that sprea ead d ou outt across th he e bow owls and faces of th these e great mo mou un ntains to the val alle leyy le below. w.. Overr the e yea e rs r the ridge ge elil ne nes, s, tha h t were e use ed to skin up and nd ski k down,, were striped of their tree es to o mak ake e way for wider and fast s er tur u nss. Li Lift fs ft were built of timber and toiil and d the th he new cut slopes saw teams of skie erss side slipping and compacting the e snow to start the revolution of skiing to come. Piste Sking! Alpin ne Slalom Racing! Mechanical Grooming! And later Moguls! Oh those nasty moguls! Then came the introduction of the snowboard and the side ways stance in the
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Japa Ja apa pan ne ese se Alp lps. s. The he Car a vi v ng n Cra r ze ze too ook ok offf an a d be eca came m the he on nlly te tech chni niqu ique e ta taug ghtt by th the skki scch ski ho ool ols be beffo orre e som ome pe peop ople e sta arrtted d to re eal alizze th that at th he e roo oots ts of sskkiiiing in th the e Ja Japa pa p ane nese s se Alps ha Al ad d slo owl wly be bee en n for orgo g tt go tten en. Tr en. T ee e s, s, po ow wde der sno der sn no ow w, al a pi pin ne bowls ne l all of th the e th t in i gs tha hatt the e skkie iers rss of se seas aso on ns p pa asstt had d dre ream amt off slilid idi ding g thr h ough each ye hr year ar as th the e re red d an and d go g ld tree tr e s on the hilillll si ee sid ide des drop des drop ppe ed th thei thei eir leaves and turned to whi h te e. 100 years may have past but the smiles on the powder covered faces of riders in th he trree eess are just as big now as they were then! There have been quite a few w tec e hn h olog og gic ical al advancements in the gear and continued fine tuning of the techniques over the years, but the soul of the sport remains the same. We have come full circle back to where the spirit off skiing started. Yes, you guessed it, the TREES!
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Hakuba Happo-one The flagship ski area of Hakuba Happo-One (pronounced “oh-nay”) is Hakuba’s oldest, largest and most central ski hill. Happo offers riders a leg-burning thousand meters of top to bottom skiing with stunning views of Hakuba’s three symbolic peaks. Host to the men’s and women’s blue-ribbon downhill and super giant slalom events at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Happo is the one hill not to miss in Hakuba.
Orientation The resort has four numbered base areas that extend over two kilometers at the foot of the mountain. 1. Nakiyama - Home to the Olympic Ski Jump and the Happo Ski School. 2. Shirakaba - Adam Gondola, the fastest way up the mountain. 3. Kokusai - Access to Lower
Wadano (Tokyu, Mominoki Hotels), Evergreen Ski School. 4. Sakka – “Snow Chao” kids’ area, access to Upper Wadano (La Neige etc.), Happo Freestyle Park. Lifts rise from all four areas to two mid-mountain zones, Usagidaira and Kurobishi, and then run alongside the resort’s steepest courses to a single ridge. The four or five main courses down from mid-mountain are linked; look out for the signs and try to carry some speed because the tracks between them
have little gradient. Make sure you end the day at the right area, because it can be a long walk home! Beginners Beginners should head out to the Sakka area where the gentle slopes will get you linking turns in no time at all. There is the Snow Chao kids’ area with a magic carpet, tobaganning, and a banked tubing course where conditions vary from great fun to genuinely hair-raising! There is also a cat track from the top of the gondola back down to Sakka. Easily missed, head
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down the left side of the Panorama slope and look for the track heading left just below the lift. As a rule, this kind of long cat track is more suited to skiers than snowboarders. Intermediates A favourite is the Panorama slope just below the top of the gondola. It’s wide and well groomed with three lifts to keep you moving. Of the routes down from midmountain, Reisin Slalom to skiers’ right from Usagidaira provides great mogul-free cruising all the way to Nakiyama or via a cattrack back to the gondola. The easiest advice to lower intermediates is to not go higher than the gondola. Advanced Try your hand at the 1998 Winter Olympic men’s and ladies downhill courses. The Olympians (except famously Herman Maier) finished in about two minutes. See how long it takes you.
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Powder Hounds First come, first served! The upper part of Happo is mostly ungroomed, so get yourself on the gondola when it opens. Catch the Alpen lift up to the Pilar Café (formerly the Virgin Café) to hit Usagidaira. If you see one of the Kurobishi lifts moving (the longer one seems to run mainly at weekends now), head over to that side but watch out for buried moguls! Cruise past the restaurant there and down Skyline for some of the best powder that Hakuba has to offer. Get your breath back on the lift before you embark on another slide through the powder wonderland! Local Knowledge Happo’s long-established heritage as a ski resort brings an older Japanese crowd and the majority of visitors ski rather than snowboard. This has led to some concluding that Happo offers little to snowboarders, but we think this is based on image and perhaps the resort abandoning
its half pipe. Happo is a great place to free ride on a snowboard!
One course at the top of the Sakka Quad lift. They’ve told us that they are aiming for a slope-style-type arrangement this year. A kids’ course composed of some banking and some whoops is also built near the Olympic Scoreboard at Sakka.
Japanese flock to Happo at weekends and New Year, creating bottlenecks at the more obvious parts of the resort, principally the gondola. Use To go with the other lifts like FAST FACTS Japanese ski Skyline if possible. resort staples of Take an early Lifts 23 lunch at 11am Courses 13 ramen noodles and you’ll get and katsu (pork Elevation 1071m seated comfortcutlet) curry, ably in the restau- Beginner 30 Happo underrant and will have Intermediate 50 went a burger an hour or so of renaissance last Advanced 20 relative peace on year and you the slopes after- Longest course 8000m can now enjoy wards. Some of www.happo-one.jp delicious gourthe restaurants 0261-72-3066 met versions at can get quite the Café Bakery chaotic, especially if you’re in the Usagidaira Terrace at trying to sit and feed a group. mid-mountain and the Sakka Plaza on the Sakka side at The top lift is surprisingly the the base. For a change from last to open since a large typical ski resort fayre, head depression has to fill with down to the Nakiyama area snow. Later in the season, to Bangkok-ya, a small cozy also look out for the Happo restaurant run by telemarkers Freestyle Park on the Kita serving Thai curries.
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Vegetarians and the healthconscious mustn’t miss the Roots Café in the Evergreen complex near the Kokusai base for a great selection of whole foods, smoothies, and all-round good vibes. For the ultimate in resort dining, the Pilar restaurant at the top of Usagidaira serves high-class French-Italian cuisine with wonderful views of the valley. Reservations are recommended. If you just want a quick break, the renamed Pilar café in the same building serves the same great hot chocolate as before.
located at Kokusai and the Happo Ski School whose main facility is at Nakiyama but can also be reached in the main restaurant building at Sakka. We’re sure they’ll take good care of you.
Ski racing has a long history at Happo and the resort’s best known event, the Riesen Slalom takes place for the 66th time this season on March 1st and 2nd. Expect to see lots of colourful lycra and to hear lots of enthusiastic commentary on the tannoys over on the south side of the resort. Happo also has a fire Those looking for ski lessons festival with torchlit skiing in English at Happo have two and free sake in the evening options this year, the of February 18th. Be sure to Evergreen Ski School which is wrap up well!
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Hakuba 47 & Hakuba Goryu Big Mountain Skiing The linked resorts of Hakuba 47 and Goryu form Hakuba’s most popular hill in terms of visitor numbers. Both resorts can be ridden using the same lift ticket. Hakuba 47 is Hakuba’s newest resort and a young, snowboarder-friendly vibe emanates from its excellent terrain park. At the top, it links to Goryu, named after the four-diamonds-in-adiamond peak of the majestic Mt. Goryu in the distance. Goryu the resort has great views, wide intermediate slopes, and plenty of choice for beginners. With numerous events throughout the season and lots of customer-friendly
touches (yes, cowgirls!), we think you’ll see why these resorts have grown in relative popularity even as the Japanese population as a whole has moved away from skiing. Orientation Hakuba 47 – the name comes from “four seasons, seven days a week” – has a single base area with a large, free car park. From here, the distinctive darkgreen gondola takes you on a short journey alongside the kickers and the half-pipe to midmountain. A short run to skiers’ right takes you to the quad lift, Line C and from there, it’s a final short
hop on the Line E pair to the resort top and the Goryu slopes.
Beginners On the 47 side, ride the mid-mountain courses next door to the park or better Goryu has two base areas still shoot up to the top lift named Toomi and Iimori. linking 47 with Goryu. At The former is home to the Goryu, beginners are spoilt gondola that shoots up to for choice with the long the resort top in slope above the a single ride. Toomi base and FAST FACTS What could be many gentle Lifts 19 easier? The runs over Courses 23 other lifts only towards the Elevation 926m reach partway Iimori side that Beginner 35 up the mounmany people Intermediate 40 tain. Wide tend to miss. Advanced 25 beginner runs Skiers who are Longest course: starting from just starting out Hakuba Goryu 5000m the slope above should really Hakuba 47 6400m the Toomi base head over this http://goryu47.com 0261-75-2101 Goryu take you down way. Iimori Iimori 0261-75-2636 to the Iimori also has a roped Hakuba 47 0261-75-3533 base. This is off sledging home to a kids’ area and area with an array of toys some intermediate slopes for toddlers. The Toomi that see relatively little traffic. base building meanwhile
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boasts a large indoor play area for younger children. This season Hakuba 47 will have a dedicated kids skiing area complete with magic carpet to get up the hill. Note that beginners can access the upper slope shared by 47 and Goryu, enjoy the views, and then ride down either gondola if the descent seems too long or daunting. 47 can be ridden from the resort top to the base along cat-tracks, but the lack of gradient in some sections makes it hard work for snowboarders or skiers without poles. Intermediates At 47, a top-to-bottom run down Route 1 from the top of the quad offers about 600 meters of vertical at a steady 20-25 degree pitch.
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Due to its overall northeasternly orientation, this course is usually rideable to the base even at the resort’s closing in May! Goryu has a wide intermediate slope at the top of the gondola with great snow and three lifts to keep you moving. Advanced Routes 2 and 3 off the quad at 47 both exceed 30 degrees, with the latter mostly ungroomed. At Goryu, simply do laps top to bottom off the gondola, taking the Champion Expert and not the switchbacks. Powderhounds It’s about deep AND steep, so the main attraction at 47 is the runs off the quad. 47 has a managed tree skiing program called the Double Black Diamond Club, so sign
Terrain Park 47 has Hakuba’s best terrain park, with a well-maintained half pipe, kickers that range from small to veritably huge,
and a selection of rails and boxes. Two parallel lifts let you hit it again and again. 47’s park is popular with local seasonaires who often can’t make first lifts due to work on the breakfast shift. Get up their early and the lineups will usually be short.
Night Skiing Goryu offers night skiing every evening until 10pm on the run above the Toomi
base. We think it is Hakuba’s longest beginnerfriendly course and it’s usually very quiet at night.
up to hit some interesting terrain. At Goryu, the upper Alps Daira slope is wide and ungroomed. Lap it up!
Before the “nighta” begins, the whole area is freshly regroomed, so it’s ideal for laying down some trenches. There is something magical about snow when it’s lit up. The temperature does drop once it’s dark, so wrap up well. The restaurants stay open, so you can always pop inside for a hot chocolate. Access from the main tourist areas of Hakuba is via the Genki-go Shuttle Bus. Local Knowledge Ski lessons in English are available from Hakuba Snow Sports who are over on the Iimori side. The familiar tastes of Subway sandwiches and Haagen Daaz ice cream (try Green Tea flavor!) can be had at the Toomi base building, while
the 47 base will give you proper thin-crust pizza with Italian and not-so-Italian (chicken and seaweed?!) toppings. In case your legs aren’t wobbling enough, they’ll serve you potent Trappist beer, or a refreshing Corona to enjoy while reflecting on another day’s fine sliding. Later in the season when the sun is higher and sets much later, finishing an hour early and relaxing with a beer at the 47 base is highly recommended. 47 also offer snowtubing, your chance to cling to an inner tube while a snowmobile pulls you over lots of bumps. Fun for all the family!
try. Take your passport or some other form of ID Japanese usually use their driving licences. As with the other Hakuba resorts, the wind can cause major disruptions, typically a day or two after a big storm. With Goryu and 47,
sometimes the gondola will be running at one resort but not at the other. If it’s windy outside, ask your accommodation to check which lifts are running. Going to the right resort may mean the difference between waiting and getting in some turns.
Weekend visitors to Goryu should note that Iimori’s overflow carparks are much closer than those at Toomi. If you’re carrying your own and your kids’ skis, every meter uphill counts! Popular events at these resorts include a cluster of Igloos that 47 builds at its base area for February 10 to 19, while Goryu usually has fireworks at New Year and a snow festival on March 10. Keep your eyes open for demo days too, where popular manufacturers will bring a full range of their current (and sometimes future) boards for you to
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Hakuba Iwatake Ski all the points of the compass
FAST FACTS
www.hakuba.jp/iwatake 0261-72-2474
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Hakuba Sanosaka The prettiest ski area in the resort On the south border who want to ride them. between Hakuba and neighbouring Omachi, Sanosaka For parents, Sanosaka has is a small family resort with raised its game this year by more than initially meets the letting an adult and child ski all day for 5,500 eye. In addition yen with a to the slope FAST FACTS 2,000 yen lunch visible on coupon and a approaching the Lifts 5 rental discount resort, a further Courses 10 thrown in. The two areas are resort’s restautucked away Elevation 460m rants have also higher up. You’d Beginner 40 updated their never think the Intermediate 40 menus, so you resort had can now make 450m of vertical Advanced 20 or five lifts. Longest course 2100m your own pizza or have a Thai www.sanosaka.com curry, or bakery The emphasis is 0261-75-2452 goodies. For on beginners those with with a number of a wide smooth pistes and toddlers, there is a kids’ none of the traffic that can area at the base and a day be found at Happo and room where you can have Goryu. The resort overlooks some fun inside away from the magnificent Lake Aoki the cold. People who drive and spectacular views can up to Hakuba overnight be enjoyed from the higher should note that Sanosaka slopes. A large jump is offers a full breakfast buffet normally built near the from 7:30am. resort base, and further up a number of beginner-level We are sad to report that jumps, boxes and rails neighbouring Aokiko Ski provide an easy and Resort will not be operating pressure-free introduction again this year, limiting the to freestyle skiing and number of courses this area snowboarding. Sanosaka can offer. That said, Sanosaka also has SAJ-certified mogul is still a good option if you runs, but the bumps are want to avoid the weekend kept off to the side for those crowds at the larger resorts
or simply want a quiet day with different scenery. When high winds have stopped operation at the larger resorts, the more sheltered lifts at Sanosaka will often stay open, meaning you don’t have to miss a day. Finally, Sanosaka sits next to one of Hakuba’s largest old communities,
and those prepared to wander will find many traditional houses not that far away. A couple of them still operate as minshuku accommodation. Though better suited to Japanbased visitors, staying in Sanosaka itself lets you see an older and very different side of our town.
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Hakuba Cortina Steep, deep & one big hotel At the north end of the valley, Hakuba Cortina Ski resort rises behind the imposing Bavarian-style Green Plaza Hotel with its criss-crossed black beamwork and large red roof. You will never lose your bearings while skiing here! As the closest resort to the sea, Cortina regularly records the highest amount of snowfall in the valley. Cortina Ski Resort Public Relations
Officer, Yoshiko Chikuni, told us, “It doesn’t just snow at Cortina, it dumps! When Happo-One and Goryu up the valley will report 20cm of fresh snow, we will probably receive about 50cm!” Not content with having the valley’s largest hotel and heaviest snowfall, Cortina is also famous for having the steepest pistes, one of which averages 36 degrees and touches 42 degrees in places. Above the hotel itself extends
Intermediate paradise
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Offpiste policy at Cortina has varied over the years, but we are happy to report that last season’s opening of the trees was a resounding success and will be repeated this year. The resort operates a self-responsibility code with gondola to lookers’ right, originally a separate ski area. It tends to be very quiet.
Tsugaike Kogen Located about 10km north of central Hakuba but accessible by a number of bus services, Tsugaike rises up the foothills of Shiroumadake, the mountain from which Hakuba takes its name. Tsugaike has top-tobottom vertical that rivals Happo One, but more gradual gradients that offer extended runs to a greater range of abilities. Possibly the best word to summarize the resort would be “cruisy”. Orientation is simple with the Eve Gondola climbing the center of the main resort in
a long central beginner run, somewhat reminiscent of the one above Goryu’s Escal Plaza. However, steep slopes rise to encircle this run, making the upper part essentially a huge bowl. This is why you may have heard about the resort in hushed tones.
two stages. First is hop over very gentle slopes to a mid-mountain area where you can jump on or off, or more likely stay on to reach the higher upper area. From there you can take a number of routes down to skiers’ right or take a further lift up to the main ridge course. Tsugaike further area north
Almost all of Tsugaike’s terrain is groomed, which may disappoint powder hounds, FAST FACTS but means Lifts 23 hardly any of the moguls that Courses 11 develop on Elevation 904m other resorts’ Beginner 40 ungroomed areas between Intermediate 40 storms. TsugAdvanced 20 aike provides Longest course 6000m smooth respite to those who www.tsugaike.gr.jp struggle in the 0261-83-2515 bumps. You can has a really open it up and let the of the scenery fly by. a short
resort visitors riding the trees at their own risk. At Hakuba Connect, we applaud this progressive approach, we love riding their terrain, and we urge all readers to respect the few rules they have. If they mark an area as out-ofbounds or closed, it will be for a reason. For all of our sakes, don’t go chancing it. For the more adventurous, Cortina also has three gates to access the backcountry, though standard backcountry rules apply. It shouldn’t need saying, but always ride with a partner and carry an A fine snowpark is built near the resort’s summit late in the season - there’s too much snow to do it earlier! Tsugaike’s biggest draw though is the expansive beginner area at the bottom where ten lifts service Hakuba’s widest piste. When not buried in powder, this area offers a nice easy introduction to sliding on snow. Advanced riders are best off hiring a guide and hiking above the resort. We’re not going to say where, but great options lie just a short bootpack away. The combination of high snowfall, high winds, and fluctuating temperatures makes this genuine avalanche terrain, so do not venture out lightly.
please send us your photos! Cortina is located away from central Hakuba, but one way to get there is to use the new day-out bus trip. It includes transport from Hakuba, a lift ticket, a lunch voucher, free use of the hotel’s onsen, and Hungry? a dinner buffet with all the For lunch, the mountain has booze you can drink for 90 minutes. Now five restaurants to that is what I choose from. FAST FACTS call a day out! Warabi dishes up For adults, it’s large helpings to Lifts 7 9,300 yen all in, satisfy the hungri- Courses 16 or 8,400 if you est of skiers and stick to soft riders. Best Elevation 530m drinks. Kids’ known is the Beginner 40 price is 4,500 hotel’s ground Intermediate 30 yen. The bus floor restaurant Advanced 30 runs three times where they give you a pizza base Longest course 3500m a week on weekand let you pile on www.hakubacortina.jp days. the toppings 0261-82-2236 Finally, we must yourself to make your very own pizza. Kids will mention that Cortina is home love it. (adults just as much to some of our favourite Hakuba souvenirs, a selec–Ed.) tion of t-shirts and hats that New for this year at Cortina is rework the Puma logo (and the chance to ride in a animal!) to Shiro-uma or helicopter from Christmas Eve “white horse”, the name of to March 31. The flights last the mountain and of Hakuba only a few minutes but are itself. Japanese love word relatively good value at 5,000 gags, and this is a really cool yen and give you the chance one using the name of our to take in views very few town. Check out the Shirovisitors to Hakuba will have uma gear in the shop in the ever seen. If you do go up, hotel lobby. avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe. Such equipment can be rented back in Hakuba. It is better though to have your own gear and to practice how to use it.
Hakuba Norikura A great day out Cortina is linked to its neigh- ridden fresh soft snow bouring resort, Hakuba before. The combination of Norikura, which can be lots of space, lots of snow, ridden using the and the lack of crowds that can same pass if you be found at the buy the combined FAST FACTS resort ticket. larger resorts Lifts 10 provides a great Norikura shares Courses 14 stage for building up confiCortina’s mighty Elevation 600m dence. Many snowfall and Beginner 30 extends for a very visitors to Hakuba do not respectable 600 Intermediate 50 meters of vertical Advanced 20 give Norikura much of a up the ridge it Longest course 2500m thought, but we shares with Cortina. A number www.hakubanorikura.jp think it could be the valley’s most of shorter lifts are 0261-82-3187 also aligned along underrated the wide foothills. There’s a resort. When combined with great choice for beginners Cortina, it certainly offers a and those who may not have lot of different options.
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+81-(0)261-72-6133 +81-(0)80-1060-7070 Property Listings www.hakuba-real-estate.com E-mail sales@sakurarealestate.com
“We’ve always run the hotel as a family business, so it wouldn’t feel right doing it otherwise. ” One of the most noticeable changes in Hakuba in recent years has been the influx of new owners, both Japanese and non-Japanese, taking over existing businesses in town. Many dream of living in a ski resort, and buying a hotel or lodge here is one way to make a life for yourself in Hakuba. Unlike elsewhere, there are no restrictions on foreign ownership of property in Japan, so you too could join the growing international community in our town. As residents ourselves, we give Hakuba two thumbs up as a place to live! Hakuba’s development as a tourist destination occurred mostly in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of those who set up back then are now approaching retirement. A good number of hotels and pensions were established by people from other parts of Japan, which means their owners also have roots and family responsibilities elsewhere. We spoke with one such case, the Anyo family, who run the High Mount Hotel in Wadano-no-Mori. Joe Anyo: “I run the hotel along with my parents who built the hotel in 1995. We’re originally from Ishikawa Prefecture, about six hours away on the Sea
of Japan coast. My grandparents still live there, but they’re really old and are having problems getting around. My mum and dad try to go and see them as much as possible, but they are getting on too, and coming and going all of the time isn’t good for them either. The hotel is open year-round and we’ve been really busy this summer. We all love Hakuba, we have many friends, and I even got married here, but I think it’s best for us all to go back to Ishikawa and live as an extended family. I’m the eldest son, so it’s Japanese tradition for me to inherit the family house, just as my father will inherit from my grandfather. We’ve always run the hotel as a family business, so it wouldn’t feel right doing it otherwise.”
The High Mount Hotel is an attractive five-storey hotel conveniently located off the Sakka slopes of Happo-One with great views of the mountain. There are 29 generous-sized guest rooms, all with ensuite bathrooms , a large dining area that operates as an Italian restaurant in winter, and a small bar by the lobby. The hotel has regular bookings from a
Japanese clientele during summer and
in winter caters mainly to the foreign inbound market who enjoy the hotel’s slopeside location and the ski shuttle buses which stop right outside the hotel. The hotel has onsen water from the nearby Himekawa hot spring, so that guests can experience a Japanese onsen in the hotel’s own baths that overlook some beautiful woodland scenery. The Anyo’s stressed that the hotel is operating as normal that guests will be greeted with the hotel’s customary hospitality. However, enquiries from serious parties are welcome and should be made through Sakura Fudosan www.sakurarealestate.com who have many years experience and have overseen the takeover of many accommodation properties. Who knows, Hakuba Connect could be writing about you next year!
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Name : Tony ‘TJ’ Anderson, Whitehorse Properties. Born : Melbourne, Australia Why Hakuba: A friend of my brothers travelled around the world as a photographer for the “Board the World” Book. I asked him where his favourite place to ride was and he said Hakuba. Considering he had travelled the globe in his quest I thought I better check the place out.
bours. I don’t want to be on my death bed wishing I had owned a ski lodge or climbed a peak, or dived a certain reef. Anyone can do it. You just have to give it a go. Is everything rosy: I wish. I suppose that is everyone’s wish however it is also a state of mind. Work gets in the way of us having too much fun but seeing that I have to work then Hakuba is a great office.
What is your goal here: Originally to live life. It is too easy to get caught up in the world of 2.5 kids, mortgage, credit cards, and dreaming of a new car to keep up with the neigh-
What about summer time: Hakuba turns into a jungle in the summer . The temperatures are in the low 30s with medium humidity. Hiking is the main attraction during with some magnificent trails along the back peaks. Mountain biking is becoming very popular and there are lots of fishing going on in the rivers and lakes. A few of us here started up the Hakuba Cricket Club a few years back and we are now placed second in Japan. We hope to have a regulation pitch put in soon (donations gracefully accepted) and invite teams over for training camps.
After 15 years of living and working in Tokyo, and driving up to Hakuba every weekend during the ski season, and the odd summer break too, we started looking for a place to retire to here in Japan, Hakuba was at the very top of our list.
Black Bear Properties started with two properties under management for the 2009/10 season, but we found that word spread quickly, and by the end of the season we added our third property.
During a short break in Hakuba in the Autumn of 2005, staying at a lodge and talking to our hosts after dinner one evening…(after 15 years, they had become like family)…we considered buying our first house here in Hakuba.
Now, as we approach the 2011/12 season, with ten properties, our planned retirement has turned into a full time job! And we have become permanent residents, and part of the community of Hakuba. Hakuba for us started as the perfect place for a winter weekend break then a week’s holiday, even a whole season and now as we choose the rest of our life!
How long have you lived here: 5 years. I started to come here on 2 week holidays each year and found that it just kept getting better. You start to become familiar with a place and learn all the secret spots to drop into, all the best restaurants and you make some good friends along the way which improve the experience every time you come.
The next day, after a stop at a local real estate agency, we viewed what was to become our first home here…within a month we were the proud owners of a big renovation project! At this point, we still had no plans for a business here in Hakuba. We were content fixing up the house during the summer, and then enjoying some fresh powder before heading off to the sun. The following year, a friend asked us to look after his house, and that is how Black Bear Properties was born.. A few times, riding up the Happo lifts, off in the distance, we had seen bears roaming in the snow, so when thinking of a company name, Black Bear seemed the perfect choice and a very distinctive logo mark too.
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De es & Hi Hiro o
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Hakuba is a great resort and offers customers excellent ski opportunities. Location is a very big factor in choosing ones accommodation on a ski holiday and being right there right at the lifts is just one more piece which really compliments ones ski vacation. Sky Park Happo Apartments
Location was the driving factor behind the development of the Sky Park Happo Apartments and once we chose the site we new we had the right formula to proceed. Sky Park Happo is a very well thought out property that not only offers the best address, but all the luxury you would expect from a premier location such as this one. Rooms have been designed with comfort and space in mind, so there room to breathe, to spread out and be large and lavish in all of your gestures. Only a few short steps to Happo’s Sakka Quad Express Chair lift in Wadano, Sky Park Happo has been built with skiers in mind by some very passionate ski enthusiasts.
Hakuba Gondola Executive Apartments
Launching in 2012, the six self-contained, executive apartments are right across the street from Happo-ones’s Adam Gondola. It’s a part of town that has not seen any new development for a while and may mark the beginning of a rejuvenation of the area. There are 2 and 3 bedroom apartments available, all with great views of the mountain and township. The two upper 3 bedroom apartments have balconies
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off the living room to take advantage of the great views on offer. Each apartment has a wet entrance / drying room and each living room has a 42 inch feature fireplace to crank up the cozy. The developer is making sure to use energy efficient glass, lighting, heating and insulation to make sure that the inside stays toasty warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Hakuba Gondola Executive Apartments are a great place to stay in the green season as well. With the ADAM Gondola so very close, they are the perfect “base camp” for summer hiking and other on mountain activities.
Phoneix Chalets
The newly built two and three bedroom Phoenix Chalets offers some of the highest level of luxury self-contained accommodation in Hakuba. The chalets are tastefully appointed, with fully equipped kitchens and beautiful bathrooms, nestled in the forest right next to the Phoenix Hotel conveniently located in Wadanomori, and only moments from the ski slopes. The outdoors is what brings people to Hakuba, but it is the indoors which can make all the difference in turning a simple ski trip into a holiday to remember. The Phoenix Chalets make the difference. While the hydronic floor heating brings
life back into your frozen toes, the large windows in the chalet living area provide the perfect vantage point to watch the last of the skiers make their way down the mountain. The evening gives you the option of staying in and making dinner in the fully equipped kitchen or taking the few short steps across to the Phonix hotel to dine at Mimi's restaurant. The kids will keep themselves entertained with English language programming on the satellite TV. The hotel shuttle is available to take you to one of the resorts in the valley.
Hakuba Tourism was formed in June 2005 by accommodation providers in the Wadano area. Following the Olympics in 1998, the number of Japanese skiers and snowboarders visiting Hakuba had been falling year-by-year, and our initial goal was to prevent this from causing a decline in ski and accommodation services. At that time, Hakuba was also starting to gain international attention as a ski destination. Helped by a weak yen, an increasing number of foreign skiers began visiting Hakuba every winter. Hotels in Wadano therefore decided to join together to actively promote the beauty of the Hakuba area. Since forming, Hakuba Tourism has appeared at trade shows in Australia, the UK, and Hong Kong to introduce Hakuba, and has made active use of local media and advertising in those countries to tell more people about our town. With the help of Hakuba-based travel agents, resort staff, and the Nagano Prefectural Government, we have made great progress in getting the name of Hakuba out to skiers in a great many countries.
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Along with overseas promotion, Hakuba Tourism is committed to the stable development of Hakuba the resort. By introducing the “Genki-Go” night shuttle bus and “Hakuba Essential Guide” booklet, and employing staff who can speak English, we wish to develop Hakuba into a destination that international visitors can enjoy to the full. By improving their English capability, providing better Internet access, and running more shuttle services, the hotels that participate in Hakuba Tourism now offer overseas guests a comfortable and stress-free stay. Our hotels have a high reputation among travel agents throughout the world. With hotels in the Happo area also joining forces, a total of twelve accommodation providers now work as Hakuba Tourism to make Hakuba a truly global resort. Though we still face many challenges, we will continue in our efforts to make Hakuba the best resort in the world!
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For those of you who love Hakuba in the winter there is another side to Hakuba which needs to be seen to be believed. The locals call it the Green Season. As the snow slowly recedes to higher altitude and the winter weather changes to spring sunshine, the cherry blossoms come out, the rivers flow and the landscape begins to change and it’s time to enjoy some other adventures. Adventures and activities which will take your breath away as most of them enable you to take in the beautiful scenery, wildlife and the glorious views. Including; road cycling, mountain Biking, hiking, white water rafting, kayaking, canyoning and of course Paragliding from the peaks of Hakuba just to name a few. To help you get the best of your Hakuba adventure holiday there are a few excellent businesses in town that offer services to make the most of your time here including Evergreen Outdoor Center, Lion Adventure and Sweetriders which specialize in Mountain biking. Of course you could also take it easy by just enjoying the towering alps, taking a leisurely stroll, cycling around town, work on your photography skills or even just catch up on a book or two. With flights to Japan being as cheap as they have ever been, Hakuba is the perfect place for your next summer trip and once you are here Hakuba offers a genuine adventure holiday experience at the right price. We look forward to seeing you in Hakuba over the warmer months to try your hand at some of the great adventures on offer.
To help promote the Hakuba all season adventure experience the company that brought you JapanPowder.com is set to bring you an all season adventure site called RisingSunAdventures.com, with details of all the great adventures you can do in Hakuba as well as other Japan experiences and highlights.
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We get some very sunny days in winter
Once you are all dog-tired and back indoors, no prizes for guessing who’ll get the best seat by the fire. Most dogs love snow! When winter comes and the snow starts to pile up outside, our dogs dash out of the house and jump straight in. We’ve got a song in Japan that goes “Dogs running merrily round the garden”, and that’s just what it’s like. They leave countless tracks crisscrossing in all directions and bound about happily with balls of snow sticking to their coat and their paws. Just watch out for frost nip, especially at their toes. With snowshoes, you can take your dog for a winter walk through the woods
or along the riverside. Once the snow has accumulated, there are infinite paths through the woods, while the banks of the Matsukawa river between Happo and Iwatake are a wide playground with great mountain views.
where the sky is deep blue, the sun’s rays are warm, and the air is crisp and fresh. It’s perfect weather for a walk. Once you are all dog-tired and back indoors, no prizes for guessing who’ll get the best seat by the fire. If you’ve been walking through deep snow, you may find yourself snoozing too! In summer, our dogs like nothing better than playing in the river. Some dogs are a little scared of water, but ours can’t wait to get in. As soon as they can hear the river, they start panting and pulling at the leash. Once we’re there, they jump straight in. Paddling comes so naturally to them. On a hot summer’s day, nothing feels better than the cool clean water off the mountain. The choice river for dogs in summer is the Hirakawa River opposite Hakuba 47 where the flow is gentle enough to play safely. Our other favourite is Lake Aokiko, one of the cleanest mountain lakes in Japan. You can even head out with our friends Lion Adventure who’ll take you on a “raft picnic” with your dog! Again, taking a dip here is a great
way to cool down. The water in the rivers and lakes is so clean that there is no need to wash your dog afterwards. He may end up cleaner than when he went in! Just put your hand in to check the temperature, especially in early summer. The rivers are fed by snowmelt, not just rain on the mountains, and can be colder than they may look! In summer, dogs are allowed on the gondola lifts at Hakuba Iwatake and Hakuba 47, and both have dedicated dog play areas for our four-legged friends where you can let them off the leash. The air is much cooler up on the mountain, sometimes more than you’d realize. At Iwatake, along with the 360° views, there is a trail through the woods with the added bonus of some welcome shade. For visitors with cars, a drive up to “Yumenojo” at the top of Minekata ski resort rewards you with a wide, barkcovered trails used for cross-country skiing in winter. The views over to the Japan Alps can be stunning.
In summer, our dogs like nothing better than playing in the river. Some dogs are a little scared of water, but ours can’t wait to get in.
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Phone: +81(0)261-72-3150