What a VIEW!

What a VIEW!

What a VIEW!

A pretty incredible view from towards the top of Happo-One yesterday. I love this photo – a lone boarder just sitting back and taking it all in (in very coordinated get-up I must say!)

And just as things were starting to get just a little too sunny yesterday, we woke up to another dumping day today, with even more due Thursday night & Friday!

If you’re in town, drop into the White Horse Hotel in Echoland for a beer tonight from 5pm and pick our barman’s brain on the best powder spots for tomorrow!

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Powder, powder and still more to come!

Where is Danielle?

Where is Danielle?

The staff at the White Horse Hotel had a great morning out at Happo today, with Tony getting up for first runs. Danielle, Ryley & Simon were on a mission to find some fresh powder and looks like they found it!

With more snow due on Wednesday night… looks like it’s going to be another awesome week here in Hakuba.

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A time-lapse of snow… watch it grow!

 

Taken last week on the balcony of the White Horse Hotel Bar.

It’s like overflowing popcorn only tastier…

And check out the trees!

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A Beautiful BlueBird Day in Happo…

Bluebird Hakuba

Bluebird Hakuba

What a gorgeous day at Happo today. Yes it was still cold, but the sun was shining all day, and the view was simply stunning. I could even spot some other ski resorts way off in the distance… you can see one just on the left side of this photo, right towards the skyline.

With around 25cm or more forecast for tomorrow (Sunday) night, Monday is going to be another cracking day with sun poking through. Can’t wait!

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Japanese-style Accommodation

Mon Coeur Yamato

Mon Coeur Yamato

One of the best things about travelling is experiencing the local way of life, and in Japan one of the best ways to do this is to stay at a Japanese pension!

Mon Coeur Yamato is one of our favourites in Echoland. Run by a lovely Japanese couple, Mon Coeur is decorated from top to bottom with an array of ornaments, puts on the perfect breakfast to start the day, and even has a great bathroom set-up!

The couple that run Mon Coeur – while their English is limited – go out of their way to make sure you have a comfortable & enjoyable stay. Plus, it’s just around the corner from the White Horse Hotel, so if you do need some Enlgish-speaking help, you can pop in to the White Horse any time.

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Daddy, can we go to the park? PLEEEASE?

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Introducing… our staff

Over the coming weeks, I’d like to introduce our staff this year at the White Horse Group….

Let’s start at the White Horse Hotel:

Chris the Barman

Chris the Barman

The best Toblerone in town

The best Toblerone in town

So Chris, what’s your job? Barman at the White Horse Hotel
Whose side are you on? Skier – the park kind
Where are you from? Central Coast NSW, Australia 
Why Hakuba? To ski (again)
Where else have you ridden Whistler, Lake Lousies, Fernie, Heavenly, NZ, Australia
Favourite thing about Japan? The snow & misoramen
What’s your party trick? Have been known to do quite well at all the drunken shenanigans…

You’ve just got to try one of Chris’ Toblerone cocktails… the best in town!

And we have Ryley & Danielle in the Kitchen…

Ryley and Danielle in the Kitchen

Ryley and Danielle in the Kitchen

So Ryley, what’s your job? White Horse Chef
Whose side are you on? Boarder
Where are you from? Brisbane, Australia
Why Hakuba? The snow of course
Where else have you ridden? Meribel, La Plagne, Sunshine
Favourite thing about Japan? The heated toilet seats
What’s your party trick? Fire-breathing

Ryley makes a pretty mean Hakuburger with the most amazing french fries…

So Danielle, What’s your job?
Helping out in the kitchen… bit of this & that…
Whose side are you on?
Boarder
Where are you from? Cornwall, England
Why Hakuba? The mountains
Where else have you ridden? France, Austria, Switzerland – Mayrhofen, Les Arc
Favourite thing about Japan? The buildings
What’s your party trick? Fire Poi

Danielle’s smile and awesome English accent keeps everyone happy in the restaurant!

Stay tuned to meet more of our staff at the White Horse Hotel…

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Giant Snowflakes… The Movie

They’re soft.

They’re white.

They’re big.

And they JUST DON’T STOP.

Giant Snowflakes… The Movie. Screening now.

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A great day at Happo-One today

Was up early for the first bus to the Nakiyama ski lifts at Happo-One this morning… what an awesome day it was! We managed to cover quite a lot of ground on Happo in just half the day making it across to one of our favourite spots – Skyline. The visibility came & went making it all the more challenging at times, but with no lift queues, lots of fresh powder,  great friends and a great mountain… what more could I ask for? (Unfortunately no great photos from the mountain today… but loved these iciles on my way home that I just had to share with you!)

The coolest icicles (pun intended)

The coolest icicles (pun intended)

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White Horse Bar

The White Horse Bar Balcony

The White Horse Bar Balcony

I love this photo of the White Horse Hotel bar balcony… This was taken just after last week’s massive dump, and just before our poor “Meat Man” had to stand out there for half the night cooking us delicious pork sausages, steaks & burgers – thanks Meat Man! Friday night is BBQ night so if you’re around – drop in for a great feed and beer after a hard day on the hill.

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