Looking to go in January for a week or little longer. Taking just myself and a son. Both beginners.

I'm thinking Niseko in Hokkaido??? Looks like both good snow and facilities.

I'd love to hear a consensus from people, like "Dude, the best place for beginner snowboarders is Resort X in Y."

(Went to Thredbo once and it suuuuucked)

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evlPanda said..
Looking to go in January for a week or little longer. Taking just myself and a son. Both beginners.

I'm thinking Niseko in Hokkaido??? Looks like both good snow and facilities.

I'd love to hear a consensus from people, like "Dude, the best place for beginner snowboarders is Resort X in Y."

(Went to Thredbo once and it suuuuucked)

I go every year, been most places. I'll PM you with questions and suggestions...:)

EDIT: by most places I mean general areas...only seriously gnarly dudes have been to most resorts....

PS: Niseko is the Bali of Japan. If you love Bali, then Niseko is your place.

Lower key place we loved for a family ski holiday January last year was Myoko Kogen. Bullet train from Tokyo to Nagano then local train. Awesome!

Stayed at Myoko Mountain Lodge. Tassie guy runs it with his Japanese wife. Loved it.

myokomountainlodge.com

If it helps any, this years Epic Australia pass includes 5 days access to Hakuba Valley. I have never been there, or anywhere in Japan, but if you ski a bit in Perisher and want access to other resorts in the US and now Japan, it might work out for you.

I try to go every year as well.

As a beginner you probably can't go wrong with Niseko.

Its a well trodden path - easy to get to, everyone speaks English, and there are plenty of western food and drink options if you want to ease yourself into Japanese culture and cuisine.

If you get the Niseko United Ski pass you have access to 4 resorts on the same mountain - plus the night skiing in Hirafu is the biggest and best in Japan. You can ski from 9am to 9pm if you choose to.

The runs aren't too steep, there's tonnes of snow and there are even decent tree runs on-piste if you're feeling up to it. The hire gear is also among the best in Japan.

Its not the cheapest place, or the quietest place in Japan, but it will be cheaper and less busy than Thredbo.

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Cambodge said..
Lower key place we loved for a family ski holiday January last year was Myoko Kogen. Bullet train from Tokyo to Nagano then local train. Awesome!

Stayed at Myoko Mountain Lodge. Tassie guy runs it with his Japanese wife. Loved it.

myokomountainlodge.com

Does he have one eye by chance?

Yeah niseko is great, Just hang there. No where else on hokaido worth going

I took my family for a week to Hukaba between Xmas to NY and had a blast.

For beginners especially, Hakuba has heaps more terrain than Niseko. There are a bunch of resorts around the valley and you can bus between them or quite often your hotel will have a free shuttle. Tsugaike is the best of them for beginners - maybe one of the best places anywhere to learn with massive wide open endless green runs. As you improve there is steeper terrain up top and you can venture to some of the other spots in the Hakuba valley.

There are more Aussies in Niseko "Bali in the snow", but don't be fooled into thinking it's the only option, or the best option.

If your destination options are more open, France is incredible in January as that is low season, in between the Christmas peak and their Feb school holidays, so it's cheap and empty - way cheaper than Japan and more snow-sure. Try Val d'sere, Tignes, La Plagne or Les Arcs to name a few with easy access from Geneva.

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Richoa said..
Yeah niseko is great, Just hang there. No where else on hokaido worth going

Can't agree with that. Like comparisons with Bali suggest, if you want to go to Japan without feeling like you've left Australia, then go to Niseko. Don't get me wrong, is a great ski field, but there are others. A great field for beginners is Furano, which is in the centre of Hokkaido, about the same distance east from Sapporo that Niseko is west. It is smaller and cheaper, but still great (I'm a strong skier and still got good enjoyment for a week, and took my begginer kids and partner and they were fine too). Plus, unlike Niseko which is all resort, Furano is actually a real town and farming community with Japanese full time residents so it feels a bit less artificial. There are two sides to the mountain, stay in the Kitanome side for less locked in resort feel

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musorianin said..

Richoa said..
Yeah niseko is great, Just hang there. No where else on hokaido worth going

Can't agree with that. Like comparisons with Bali suggest, if you want to go to Japan without feeling like you've left Australia, then go to Niseko. Don't get me wrong, is a great ski field, but there are others. A great field for beginners is Furano, which is in the centre of Hokkaido, about the same distance east from Sapporo that Niseko is west. It is smaller and cheaper, but still great (I'm a strong skier and still got good enjoyment for a week, and took my begginer kids and partner and they were fine too). Plus, unlike Niseko which is all resort, Furano is actually a real town and farming community with Japanese full time residents so it feels a bit less artificial. There are two sides to the mountain, stay in the Kitanome side for less locked in resort feel

I think he was being sarcastic, as in ,yeah, go on, you go to Niseko.... and I will go somewhere else.

One of the guys in our ski group was talking about this where some destinations are so Australianised that the local culture is effectively replaced. I guess it depends if you want that or not. Some do and some don't.

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evlPanda said..
Looking to go in January for a week or little longer. Taking just myself and a son. Both beginners.

I'm thinking Niseko in Hokkaido??? Looks like both good snow and facilities.

I'd love to hear a consensus from people, like "Dude, the best place for beginner snowboarders is Resort X in Y."

(Went to Thredbo once and it suuuuucked)

Took kids for 2 years 5-6 years back. All could board/ski by then. We went thru Victorian resorts for a few years.. where ozzy snow standards in comparison do not compare and were hit and miss, but the lesson packages for quality were excellent. A number of instructors went to Niseko in the "off!!" season - so no reason to think poor quality - but get english speaking (preferably first language)...
Snow was in a different league (did Furano in March this year - awesome till it rained a bit then just terriffic - 2.5m deep but lost the sensational powder fluff).
As a beginner not sure about value of all mountain pass - but if $ ok no harm. There is (was) a catch-all bus service to pick up and return to base from each of the 4 zones at the bottom of the mountain - so if you got caught out knackered at the end of the day - no worries. My son and a few of his mates have done working seasons there since - It has only become more popular - so can get very busy. It has by far the biggest infrastructure on mountain and off - so the lift carrying capacity is big - as an aside, the big growth area is side country and surrounding areas for powder skiing.
Be aware of missing other countries public holidays (We just missed Chinese NYear in 2012 in January - but it is in February for 2019)..
Timeframe - week non-stop ok, but do not be surprised if you go for 9 - 12 days a day off is a good idea.
Lots of good advice on internet (or travel agents - Deep powder tours have helped us out a number of times).
Suggest unless you want to site-see in Tokyo - try to flight straight into Sapporo (Chitose) - it is a few hour bus ride from there - get this sorted - know what U R doing b4 arriving - you can loose a day both ways if you poor flight scheduling.
Pointed out above a lot of Ozzies - suggest avoid Australian national holiday - 26th January.... v.average...

But -- You will see this.. Mt Yotei



It is a hike but the way down - wow... ( this is one of my kids - it is why side country is popular)..







If you get confident and are realistically up to it - take the afternoon slow and try the night ski-ing - it was very quiet and in-part due to the pelting snow fantastic the few times we did it - well worth it.

So your are very likely to have a really special experience with your kid. Go for it.
As usual there is an App' -- The Niseko APP...

Cheers
AP

My friends that go say hokkiado more reliable and better snow but domestic transfer flight and bus a drag. Hakuba is bullet train from airport to door.

Thanks all

Sounds like I can't go wrong with Niseko and/or Hakuba and/or even France (wild card).

I do want to experience some real powder before I'm too old and can only windsurf : (

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evlPanda said..
Looking to go in January for a week or little longer. Taking just myself and a son. Both beginners.

I'm thinking Niseko in Hokkaido??? Looks like both good snow and facilities.

I'd love to hear a consensus from people, like "Dude, the best place for beginner snowboarders is Resort X in Y."

(Went to Thredbo once and it suuuuucked)

Now that you are set on Japan, why did Thredbo suck?

My first ski trip was to Thredbo, followed by Perisher the next day. I liked Thredbo so much I tried to go back there the third day but it was so packed I couldn't park there! It had an awesome atmosphere.

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AUS1111 said..
If your destination options are more open, France is incredible in January as that is low season, in between the Christmas peak and their Feb school holidays, so it's cheap and empty - way cheaper than Japan and more snow-sure. Try Val d'sere, Tignes, La Plagne or Les Arcs to name a few with easy access from Geneva.

both austria and italy are great too if you are not dead set on Japan. Personal opinion - if you after some good skiing - head to Europe. The resorts and options over there are way better than anything else.

Personal favorites are Dolomiti super ski and Ski Amade in Austria. Both cover multiple resorts often interconnected with each other which really helps with the crowds (none). Generally very few English speaking people visit so you really get the feeling you are in foreign country.

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evlPanda said..
Thanks all

Sounds like I can't go wrong with Niseko and/or Hakuba and/or even France (wild card).

I do want to experience some real powder before I'm too old and can only windsurf : (

The weather for us in Hakuba was great. The wind up the very top was a bit too strong and on a few days closed. We had many blue bird days and at night could venture out in Jeans and ski jackets.

I heard from people who ski Niseko that they often don't see sun light for weeks..

Not sure how valid that is..

Best advice is always stay right near a lift or buss stop at worst. Skiing to with in meters of your door makes everything much easier, especially if you have to carry your wifes gear..

Not forgetting that you can hop on a "highway bus" from in front most of Tokyo's big stations, eliminating the need for more flights, straight to Nagano, for example where fields abound, but crowds are on the decline.

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FormulaNova said..

musorianin said..

Richoa said..
Yeah niseko is great, Just hang there. No where else on hokaido worth going

Can't agree with that. Like comparisons with Bali suggest, if you want to go to Japan without feeling like you've left Australia, then go to Niseko. Don't get me wrong, is a great ski field, but there are others. A great field for beginners is Furano, which is in the centre of Hokkaido, about the same distance east from Sapporo that Niseko is west. It is smaller and cheaper, but still great (I'm a strong skier and still got good enjoyment for a week, and took my begginer kids and partner and they were fine too). Plus, unlike Niseko which is all resort, Furano is actually a real town and farming community with Japanese full time residents so it feels a bit less artificial. There are two sides to the mountain, stay in the Kitanome side for less locked in resort feel

I think he was being sarcastic, as in ,yeah, go on, you go to Niseko.... and I will go somewhere else.

One of the guys in our ski group was talking about this where some destinations are so Australianised that the local culture is effectively replaced. I guess it depends if you want that or not. Some do and some don't.

Arrr yeap, now he told every one about furano. Plenty of great spots and niseko is good for first trip. But we avoid it now.

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myusernam said..
My friends that go say hokkiado more reliable and better snow but domestic transfer flight and bus a drag. Hakuba is bullet train from airport to door.

Hokkaido has a longer season, but the stats show that resorts get no more snow in a given timeframe than Honshu. The quality is no different. How close the resort is to the NW coast is more important for amount of snow. There are plenty of resorts on Hokkaido that get way less annual snow than most of the resorts on Honshu as they are further away from the coast.

I find that Honshu tends to have snow events less frequently but more of it when a storm hits. Generally storms come through on a 4 to 5 day cycle. Therefore I would base my decision on how long I was going for. 9 days or more and Honshu wins for me as you can generally get two big dump events, which translates into 6 or more days of waking up to fresh lines. Less time and you are more likely to get fresh days on the North island, just not so much depth.