Japan skiing recommendations
Discussion
Ok, I would say I was an above average on pieste skier.
However this march my girlfriend and I would like a week in Japan to learn how to ski off pieste. We are looking at a 10 day trip. 7 days skiing a day or two in Tokyo the rest travelling.
Other than that we have no idea. Ideally I would like a package of some type.
Does anyone have any recommendations of companies to book through or places to go?
However this march my girlfriend and I would like a week in Japan to learn how to ski off pieste. We are looking at a 10 day trip. 7 days skiing a day or two in Tokyo the rest travelling.
Other than that we have no idea. Ideally I would like a package of some type.
Does anyone have any recommendations of companies to book through or places to go?
I had a long weekend in Hakuba, couple of hours on the bullet train from Tokyo. It was a fantastic experience but I would say the off piste was limited and it got tracked out very quickly. The mountains and runs seemed much smaller than a big European resort, apre ski was good though.
I enjoyed Hakuba (part of Nagano). As above, easy journey from Tokyo and generally good powder.
They are very strict about off-piste though - there were some designated areas and it was controlled, so you had to check in & out. All of which is quite a good thing from a safety perspective. Go off the side of a marked piste & you risk losing your lift pass.
You can also go to the top of the ski jump and take a look down it - the sheer size of the thing makes you realise what balls of steel those guys really have.
ETA - If in Tokyo and like a drink, Twilight Time at the Park Hyatt is my top tip. 5-8pm, unlimited cocktails, canapés & great views.
https://japanjourneys.jp/tokyo/shinjuku/bars/peak-...
They are very strict about off-piste though - there were some designated areas and it was controlled, so you had to check in & out. All of which is quite a good thing from a safety perspective. Go off the side of a marked piste & you risk losing your lift pass.
You can also go to the top of the ski jump and take a look down it - the sheer size of the thing makes you realise what balls of steel those guys really have.
ETA - If in Tokyo and like a drink, Twilight Time at the Park Hyatt is my top tip. 5-8pm, unlimited cocktails, canapés & great views.
https://japanjourneys.jp/tokyo/shinjuku/bars/peak-...
Edited by Carbon Sasquatch on Monday 12th December 15:06
Japan's on my bucket list and it combining skiing and tourism would make a great trip. I wouldn't choose it to 'learn' off piste.
What you want is plenty of vertical, a good lift system and a reasonably varied and extensive terrain so that your instructor can find safe/suitable terrain.
You need top class instruction and the right equipment for the conditions. In Europe, instruction should include use of avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel. In North America, in boundary skiing is made safer by the patrollers.
For Japan money you could get more time and good instruction in North America or one of the many outstanding off piste destinations in Europe
What you want is plenty of vertical, a good lift system and a reasonably varied and extensive terrain so that your instructor can find safe/suitable terrain.
You need top class instruction and the right equipment for the conditions. In Europe, instruction should include use of avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel. In North America, in boundary skiing is made safer by the patrollers.
For Japan money you could get more time and good instruction in North America or one of the many outstanding off piste destinations in Europe
I learnt to ski off-piste in Japan (numerous trips). But went further north to Hokkaido. (Nieseko, Furano & Tomamu). Amazing powder, lots of cat skiing, instructors and guides there as well.
oddman said:
Japan's on my bucket list and it combining skiing and tourism would make a great trip. I wouldn't choose it to 'learn' off piste.
What you want is plenty of vertical, a good lift system and a reasonably varied and extensive terrain so that your instructor can find safe/suitable terrain.
You need top class instruction and the right equipment for the conditions. In Europe, instruction should include use of avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel. In North America, in boundary skiing is made safer by the patrollers.
For Japan money you could get more time and good instruction in North America or one of the many outstanding off piste destinations in Europe
They also have the same instruction in Japan, with all the right gear.....What you want is plenty of vertical, a good lift system and a reasonably varied and extensive terrain so that your instructor can find safe/suitable terrain.
You need top class instruction and the right equipment for the conditions. In Europe, instruction should include use of avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel. In North America, in boundary skiing is made safer by the patrollers.
For Japan money you could get more time and good instruction in North America or one of the many outstanding off piste destinations in Europe
Edited by Rich_AR on Tuesday 13th December 15:48
I've been three times to Japan for snowboarding (and still not to Hokkaido) and I frickin love it. At one stage they had almost 600 ski resorts - no idea how many are still open but you're still spoilt for choice. My last trip was in 2016... I need to get back soon.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Powderhounds has loads of info on lots of resorts and organised tours / packages.
https://www.powderhounds.com/Japan.aspx
All of the resorts I've been to have been to have been sub-alpine (treeeeeees!), fairly low angle and short. Off-piste as defined by ducking ropes is often banned and variably enforced. Hardly any resort in Japan does active avalanche control so often the ropes are there for a great reason.
I learnt to ride pow there so it's not a bad destination. It won't teach you to drop a 50 degree icy couloir in Chamonix / Kicking Horse but I don't enjoy that anyway.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Powderhounds has loads of info on lots of resorts and organised tours / packages.
https://www.powderhounds.com/Japan.aspx
All of the resorts I've been to have been to have been sub-alpine (treeeeeees!), fairly low angle and short. Off-piste as defined by ducking ropes is often banned and variably enforced. Hardly any resort in Japan does active avalanche control so often the ropes are there for a great reason.
I learnt to ride pow there so it's not a bad destination. It won't teach you to drop a 50 degree icy couloir in Chamonix / Kicking Horse but I don't enjoy that anyway.
seefarr said:
Powderhounds has loads of info on lots of resorts and organised tours / packages.
https://www.powderhounds.com/Japan.aspx
Those trips look ideal for the OP. Great thing about a package is guide/instructor will deal with the rules. Might be worth reading the reviews as instruction might involve quite a few on piste drills which may be a bit tedious if they are already decent. Anyone who can carve with good technique on piste using the full potential of modern skis won't have a problem in that powder once they have a pair of 110mm+ rockered planks strapped to their feet.https://www.powderhounds.com/Japan.aspx
Pricey though. If you're a miser like me you would be thinking for maximum metres vert skied + learning/price equation, a cheap European package with expert guiding would probably get you 4 x as much. For comparison I'm doing a week in Cham with 4 half days instruction (class of 6) with arguably the best in the business for £500 holiday package plus £240 instruction plus lift passes. So all in a little over £1000.
Japan looks very similar to a good easy day in Arctic Norway (easy angle, light snow, trees) but TBF that's also pricy and you have to earn your turns so even less vert.
oddman said:
seefarr said:
Powderhounds has loads of info on lots of resorts and organised tours / packages.
https://www.powderhounds.com/Japan.aspx
Those trips look ideal for the OP. Great thing about a package is guide/instructor will deal with the rules. Might be worth reading the reviews as instruction might involve quite a few on piste drills which may be a bit tedious if they are already decent. Anyone who can carve with good technique on piste using the full potential of modern skis won't have a problem in that powder once they have a pair of 110mm+ rockered planks strapped to their feet.https://www.powderhounds.com/Japan.aspx
Pricey though. If you're a miser like me you would be thinking for maximum metres vert skied + learning/price equation, a cheap European package with expert guiding would probably get you 4 x as much. For comparison I'm doing a week in Cham with 4 half days instruction (class of 6) with arguably the best in the business for £500 holiday package plus £240 instruction plus lift passes. So all in a little over £1000.
Japan looks very similar to a good easy day in Arctic Norway (easy angle, light snow, trees) but TBF that's also pricy and you have to earn your turns so even less vert.
Plus the whole experience in Japan, the food, the service, the culture etc, its great.
Edited by Rich_AR on Wednesday 14th December 15:38
Just before Covid we went for a long weekend skiing in Hakuba from the UK. It was a bit extreme for a weekend break but we flew business class so it wasn’t too bad. So it can be done.
The Skiing was great, not much off piste as others have said but there was/is a cracking play park with a huge half pipe, loads of jumps and rails. Lovely snow, not too busy and everybody is incredibly polite especially in lift queues. The food and accommodation was outstanding. Plus you get to sit naked in a very hot bath with lots of little Japanese people, what’s not to like. All in all it was a lot better than the Alps, but it is a f
k of a long way to go for a weekend.
Still YOLO and all that. At least we have done it
The Skiing was great, not much off piste as others have said but there was/is a cracking play park with a huge half pipe, loads of jumps and rails. Lovely snow, not too busy and everybody is incredibly polite especially in lift queues. The food and accommodation was outstanding. Plus you get to sit naked in a very hot bath with lots of little Japanese people, what’s not to like. All in all it was a lot better than the Alps, but it is a f
k of a long way to go for a weekend.Still YOLO and all that. At least we have done it
cowboyengineer said:
Thanks for the information guys. I will take a read. I know Europe might be cheaper. I’m there for a week in a couple of weeks. But Japan is on the list and my gf really wants to go there so who am I to argue!
Sounds like the gf's a keeper.If you're in Europe for a week, that might be a great opportunity to go to town refining your carving technique and maybe getting some private coaching.
Have a look at Marcus Casten's 'Return of the Turn' series on YouTube. He really illustrates how fantastic carving technique reads straight across into astonishly good technique in a range of off piste conditions. Tom Gellie has some very interesting free content although some of it is promoting CARV insoles and his own Big Picture Skiing platform. His mantra for off piste is 'change your attitude not your technique' which I think is super helpful but assumes good technique to begin with.
To help my off piste I'm doing weekly 2 hour sessions at Snozone Castleford with reps of drills, drills, drills and the occasional ski run. It really helps. I probably get more out of an indoor slope now than when I was a confident but raggedy piste skier and inept hooligan off piste
Edited by oddman on Thursday 15th December 08:11
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