November 3rd Hakuba snow

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Hakuba Blog
Hakuba early snow

The snow is creeping down the mountain.

And more snow last night with the freezing level dropping below the Happo Gondola Station. Enough to raise the excitement meter another notch. Who knows with the weather if it will stay or if a warm patch will come and take it away at this time of year but regardless we are all feeling the anticipation of the impending winter. Come and stay with us in Hakuba. We have a number of accommodation options from Hotels, pensions and lodges to self contained houses and chalets.

email me at tony@whitehorse-hakuba,com for a good deal.

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Hakuba November snow

Posted on November 2, 2010 by Hakuba Blog
Hakuba early snow

The building to the front is the Happo Gondola Station. Top left is the top of the Grat quad

More snow on the top of the resorts today. Unexpectedly the freezing levels dropped down to around 1400 meters so it was a nice surprise to wake up this morning and see more snow on the top of Happo and Goryu/47. The weather forecasts here are generally pretty good however the snow line is consistently below that of what is predicted. The micro climates throughout the valley are also quite variable so we can see a huge dump at one end and not so much at the other. Cortina to the North tends to be the beneficiary of this most times however we do see the opposite where Kashimayari gets the goods in the south. Our guests at the White Horse Hotels receive the advantage of local knowledge to ensure they get pointed in the right direction for the best conditions for each day. Make sure where ever you stay that you receive this assistance at it can make a huge difference to you day on the mountain.

Hakuba November snow

Cold and windy day here in Hakuba but everyone is loving the new snow

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Hakuba first snow October 27th 1010

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Hakuba Blog
Hakuba first snow 2010

It snowed at resort level today but only stuck on the huge peaks out the back

The first snowfalls for the 2010/11 season early this morning covered the lower hills around Hakuba with a blanket of snow. The sun came out and the clouds spread showing off the bleached mountains  for long enough to get everybody excited about our new vista. For the people that live here the anticipation just grows from this time on for those first runs down the slopes. My guess is that they will open before the end of next month while no one is around. A bit selfish I know, but hey, there has to be some perks to the job. My excuse is that I have to find new places to take my guests to ski and board.

Please feel free to comment and ask questions about Hakuba just below this post.

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Hakuba ski Jump event

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Hakuba Blog

 

Something you won't be seeing in Hakuba this winter

 

Last week we saw the finals of the Sumo ski jumping event in Hakuba. Wellll, maybe not, but I am sure if they did hold such an event it would get lots of media. To eat like a sumo head on down to the new Chanko Nabe restaurant in Echoland. Real sumo food served by a real sumo wrestler. There are even more restaurants opening up in Echoland this winter stamping it’s position as the main wining and dining area of Hakuba to head to after a big day on the slopes.

http://www.hakuba-arctic-hotel.com

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Japan Powder Snow

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Hakuba Blog

 

Deep powder Hakuba

I don't think they teach you how to get out of this situation at ski school.

 

“Floundering in the Pow”

Just to set the record straight, I am by no means a good snowboarder. I can get down pretty much anything a resort has to offer but please don’t mock my lack of style. One of the memorable days last season was the first day Happo One opened up their lifts. It had been snowing non-stop for 36 hours & there would have been over a meter of fresh on the ground. At this early stage we didn’t have any guests at the White Horse so I went out with all of the staff for a bit of R&R. A few of the crew had done seasons in Australia & New Zealand so I was expecting some quality skiing & riding to be on show. Ascending on the Alpen Quad we were on the 5 & 6 chairs looking at a perfect palette of fresh pow. As we rose to the Virgin Café the cloud cleared to display the Japanese Alps in their full splendor. We dash around the side of the lift hut like little kids at school play time. Strap in, push off & so the season begins. Every turn is a face shot. You can’t hoot or you will end up with a gob full. The hoots are coming from the lift, from friendly strangers acknowledging your massive rooster tails. I get to the bottom covered in Hakuba white gold. I wait and catch my breath looking up to see where the others are. No sign of them so up the lift again. I didn’t see anyone for the next 6 runs. Finally I get to the bottom to find half the group there. They were all exhausted as I, but I was surprised to hear that they had actually only completed the one run. The rest of the time they were digging, pushing, falling, drowning and basically floundering in the deep dry powder snow. The rest of them were still up there somewhere trying to just get down the mountain. I do remember a time when I struggled in the same conditions however this time I walked away with a cheeky smirk – “welcome to Hakuba kids.”

Tony Anderson

White Horse Hotels.

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Hakuba hotels family rooms

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Hakuba Blog

 

Family room

The quad room is the perfect place for your family accommodation

 

The quad room at the Arctic White Horse Hotel in Echoland is a great option for families who want space to spread out in their room. There is lots of storage with huge built in wardrobes and there is a sitting area also. Coffee making facilities, a fridge and a TV with international channels make the room a very comfortable place to rest up. The posturepedic beds with the luxury linen make it difficult to get up after a nanna nap before dinner so our advice is to not lie down especially after your onsen. That is just a recipe for a 12 hour sleep. Although we don’t officially do room service we do often send up a Hakuburger from the restaurant for those that get trapped into the comfort zone of their room. The quad is very popular throughout the snow season so please book your family in early. There is also enough space for a cot and futon on the floor for the big young families.

http://www.hakuba-arctic-hotel.com

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Hakuba Cricket Club – Cool Runnings

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Hakuba Blog
Hakuba in the summer

The 3rd best cricket team in Japan. Mt Fuji in the background.

Congratulations are in order to the Hakuba Cricket Club for their 3rd place in the Japanese National Titles. The group started out last year with a few of the local expats having a bit of a hit on one of the tennis courts in town. This year they established an official club and played each week with a couple of away games against the Sano team on proper pitches and using the 20/20 format. We were invited to the Nationals last weekend after demonstrating that we could play at a high enough level. A shakey start was endured before everyone found their way and a convincing win in the last game under pressure gave us third place. Not bad for a bunch of skiers and snowboarders looking for something to do in the summer here in Hakuba. This taste of success ensures that we will be back there next year to better our ranking. Thanks everyone for a great summer. After this weekend I will be packing the bat away for what is guaranteed to be another massive winter in the Japanese Alps.

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Toilet Slippers

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Hakuba Blog

 

Bathroom slippers

It is pretty obvious which ones are the toilet slippers.

 

Japan has lots of oddities that help make it such a wonderful place to visit and there is a laugh around every corner. Toilet slippers are probably common in societies that take their shoes off when inside. In Japan this tradition originates with tatami mats being used as the main flooring and it would easily scuff and become dirty if everyone wore shoes through the house. To make sure you don’t get your house slippers mixed up with the toilet slippers you might find they have big pictures and writing on them. Concentrate when leaving the toilet and make sure you do the changeover or you may find yourself embarrassed when someone notices your mistake. I liked these one’s so much I bought them for the hotel.

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Nagano to Hakuba bus

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Hakuba Blog
Ticket Machine

The Ticket Machine located just inside the door at the Happo Bus Terminal

The bus from Nagano to Hakuba takes 65 minutes weaving its way over bridges and through valleys and tunnels. The first view you get of the Japanese Alps is magnificent on a clear day. Keep your eyes to the front as you come out of the long tunnel after the toll way and you will be in awe of the huge mountains in the distance. This is where you will be heading to. Tickets can be bought on the bus at Nagano Station. Cash only and they can only change 1000 yen notes. If you are staying at the Phoenix Wing Chalets then you should get off at Hakuba Goryu. For all of the other White Horse properties please get off at the Happo Bus terminal. We will put the winter timetable up as soon as it comes out.

Check HERE for the updated timetable

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Luggage storage at Tokyo Station

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Hakuba Blog
グランスタ内クロークサービス

Location: The Gransta Station underground mall is well signed. Take the escalators down, opposite the Nagano Shinkansen gates

If you want to spend some time in Tokyo before coming out to Hakuba or at the end of your trip the luggage storage area at Tokyo Station is a very handy service for your ski and snowboard bags. There are also lockers there to fit large suitcases. Tokyo Station is huge so take good note of where the storage area is for your pick up otherwise you could be running around for 20 minutes looking for the place.

 
Luggage Storage at Tokyo Station
Hours: 9:00 to 20:00
Fee: 500 yen / unit
Total length of less than 250cm
The total weight of less than 30kg 

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