You will see lots of rabbit tracks around the ski slopes of Hakuba
Chicks on Sticks
Snowboarding is very popular with young Japanese girls and I am constantly amazed by their tenacity to stomp a move. I cringe when I see them crash and I think that’s the end of that however they will get up, shake it off and try it all again. They are very fashion conscious and stylish on the mountain and they can certainly keep up with the boys in the powder. “Fly Out” is a new movie by Candy Productions with an all girl line up and is due for release in August. Check it out.
Posted in Japan, ski and snowboard, Video
Tagged girl snowboarders, snow, snow Japan, snowboard japan, video
Leave a comment
Vert
Vertical rise or drop are both common snow terms used to give a good indication of the size of a mountain resort
Happo One has a respectable 1071 meters of vertical drop (also known as vertical rise or just “vert”) meaning if you measured a line straight up from the altitude of the lowest chair lift upload point which is at 760 meters above sea level (ASL) to the highest lifted offload point on the mountain at 1831 meters ASL the total measurement equals 1071 meters. It is an impressive mountain resort and deserves it’s reputation as the best in Japan. To compare that to other resorts around the globe –
Vail, Colarado, USA – 1025 meters
Big White, BC, Canada – 810 meters
Zermatt, Switzerland – 700 meters
Perisher, Australia – 430 meters
Posted in Hakuba, Information, snow
Tagged Hakuba Accommodation, hotels, ski japan, vert
Leave a comment
Steven Lee in Hakuba
The One Hit Wonder Snow Show is premiering on Australian TV on Sunday 24th July and is much anticipated viewing by many skiers and snowboarders alike. Steven Lee is one of Australia’s most famous skiers being one of only a few to win on the World Alpine Cup Circuit. Over the last couple of years Steve has been spending a lot of time in Hakuba and what I have seen by the footage that has been released he really does show off what Hakuba has to offer. Lots of powder and big mountain skiing. That’s where Hakuba tops all the other resorts throughout Japan. If you are in Australia make sure you keep an eye out for the show and when the footage is available I will be sure to get it up on the blog.
Posted in Hakuba, ski and snowboard, snow, Video
Tagged Hakuba, News, ski japan, snow show, Steve Lee
Leave a comment
Woman’s World Cup Soccer
Winners are grinners Photo from the fifa site
Great news for Japan this morning with the National womans soccer team defeating the U.S. to win the sixth Women’s World Cup. Japan won a penalty shootout 3-1 after the game in Frankfurt, Germany finished 2-2. Japan’s Homare Sawa scored an equalizer in the 117th minute to take the game to penalties. The goal was Sawa’s fifth in the tournament which made her the overall top scorer. The win is Japan’s first world title; the U.S. won the World Cup in 1991 and 1999. Soccer is the second biggest team sport in Japan behind baseball however woman’s soccer is not as big which makes this historic win even more amazing. The team will come home to a hero’s welcome and will certainly lift the spirits of the nation. Congratulations Japan.
Alpine Grill
Echoland is the place to go for great selection of really good restaurants.
A new restaurant opened up here in Hakuba tonight.The Alpine Grill is located right in the middle of Echoland which is the main restaurant and bar area of Hakuba. I thought I would take the 100 meter stroll down from the White Horse to see what chef Kataoka san has put together. Kataoka san is the chef and owner of the Side Hill Pension and has a very good reputation around town. I have eaten at Side Hill previously and was very impressed with what he was creating there so I have been looking forward to tonight. He did not disappoint. We started off with a fresh garden salad with local goats cheese and the rice and cheese croquettes. For main I had the Australian beef steak and my partner had the grilled chicken. Both came out perfectly cooked with a generous serve of fresh local vegies and potatoe wedges. Along with a beer and a glass of Chilean wine the bill came to just 6100 yen. The short stroll back to the hotel bar for a digestif finished the night off nicely. I can certainly recommend this restaurant and next time I want to try their signature dish of Wagyu beef.
Posted in Food, Hakuba, Hakuba apres
Tagged Alpine Grill, Apres, Echoland, Hakuba, Japanese food, restaurants
Leave a comment
My favourite runs – short but sweet
One of my favourite spots but I still have plenty of secrets for our guests.
Two of my favourite runs here are on Hakuba 47. They are marked as Double Black Diamond as on anything but a powder day they turn into a field of moguls the size of volkswagons and will challenge the best of skiers. On a deep powder day though they offer the pitch required to be able to get the speed you need. It can snow a meter overnight here and the simple rule of thumb is the deeper it is the steeper you need. Another tip is to don’t fall over on those days. You will understand why not when you do.
Posted in Hakuba, ski and snowboard
Tagged Hakuba Accommodation, hakuba47, ski japan, snowjapan, steep and deep
2 Comments
Snowman
The snowmen in Hakuba are a little more advanced.
Every child that comes to the snow wants to build a snowman. For those that are bringing their kids along to Hakuba this winter be prepared for a dig around when you arrive back to the hotel after a day on the mountain. A tip is to keep your gloves on. There are some very talented artists around who take it a bit more serious creating snow sculptures which you will see on the resorts and randomly around the valley. At the White Horse in Echoland we have a great little park area across the road where you can let the kids run off any energy they may have remaining and create your own piece of snow art.
C8KXT3YR4PQP
Posted in Hakuba, snow
Tagged accommodation, Hakuba, skijapan, snow Japan, White Horse Hotel
Leave a comment
Travis Rice
It’s not Hakuba and not even Japan but I know Travis Rice will be here at some stage to film one of these blockbusters. We certainly have the mountains and snow that compete with what’s in his latest contribution. The movie looks epic and I am looking forward to seeing the whole thing. It will be available for purchase at Garage 902 in Echoland who also have a good selection of Libtech snowboards and a great clothing range. I can see some Lazy Sunday afternoons with “The Art of Flight” a few mates and some cold beers anticipating the next winter here in Hakuba. Although I could never reach the level of Travis and his co stars it is certainly inspiring to watch and the camera work continues to amaze me.
Posted in Backcountry, Video
Tagged Echoland, Hakuba, snow, snowboarding, Travis Rice
Leave a comment
Iwatake ski resort, Hakuba
It's not how big it is. It's what you do with it that counts.
Happo One is the most famous ski resort amongst the Japanese and was voted the best resort in Japan recently in one of the ski magazines here. Everybody who comes to Hakuba wants to ski the downhill course that the Herminator crashed on in the 1998 Olympics. It is a world class resort and I have had many guests have their “best day ever” on it. Sitting in Happo’s shadow is a little resort called Iwatake. Commonly overlooked by the foreign visitors for no other reason than it is just not really known about. For me Iwatake is a great resort that offers a lower altidude which means that on a windy day where many lift are on wind hold throughout the valley you will find that Iwatake is running as normal. I have had some of the best powder days here as it gets blown off all the other mountains and settles nicely on the runs. It is a good, fun intermediate mountain on a regular day with powder stashes available well after the last snow. Definitely give it a go while you are here. If you are staying at the White Horse in Echoland then even better as they offer free shuttles at your convenience there and back.
Mountain stats
Elevation 750m-1289m
Longest Run 3800m
Area 120ha
Beginners 30%
Intermediate 50%
Advanced 20%
Lifts & Gondola
| Type | Number | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| Gondola Lift “Noah” | 1 | Gondola Lift |
| Quad Lift | 1 | Chair Lift |
| Triple Lift | 1 | Chair Lift |
| Pair Lift | 11 | Chair Lift |
| Lift for Transport | 1 | Chair Lift |
Posted in Hakuba, Information
Tagged Echoland, Hakuba Hotels, Iwatake, ski japan, snowboarding
Leave a comment
Hakuba Blog 