Preliminary planning for ski trip to Hakuba
Thank you so much for any information you can provide. My wife and I are both educators and are planning a ski trip to Japan for this coming Feb. We live in a small mountain town in a resort area of Colorado and have dreamed for years about spending a week skiing in the Hakuba Valley. The timing of the trip does not align with any of our breaks, but late Feb. seems to have the best opportunities for quality skiing.
So far, our 14-day plan is to arrive in Tokyo after an overnight flight, spend the first 5 days in Tokyo exploring museums and recovering from jet lag. On day 6 we'll travel by train to the Hakuba Valley to begin our ski vacation. We are planning to spend 6 nights at one location that is convenient to accessing multiple resorts using public transportation. That will give us the potential for 5 full days of skiing, depending on the conditions. In addition, we are interested in finding guides for "backcountry" and "side-country" skiing during those days. We are planning a full day to return back to Tokyo by train before flying out the next day for another overnight flight.
Any recommendations on traveling with ski gear from Tokyo, places to stay in the Valley, guide companies that offer backcountry day tours, and any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Welcome to Nagano in advance!
Luggage forwarding companies can take mighty good care of your ski gear (and other luggage too), so I suggest you ask your hotel front staff to (help) fill out the waybill. Given you ride a JR train, I also suggest you prebook your seat on a (morning) JR Azusa Ltd Express train which starts from Shinjuku, Tokyo. It takes you directly to JR Hakuba, from which you can take your hote shuttle (depending on your hotel) or have someone come around from your condo-/villa-type accommodation to pick you up.
Backcountry guides are available at least at Hakuba Cortina, Hakuba Happo-one and Hakuba Tsugaike. But I have no handson experiences, so let me stop here.
Have great fun!
Let me add to say, re: " We are planning to spend 6 nights at one location that is convenient to accessing multiple resorts using public transportation."
Using easy public transport (=shuttle buses) to hit other nearby ski resorts within the valley (in this case from Hakuba Happo-one) will mean your hotel choices are limited. Yes, a hotel like Hakuba Tokyu and Mominoki comes to mind. Hakuba Tokyu has shuttles to hit more resorts than many other hotels do. Mominoki doesn't have as many, but it also has more than many other competitions, I gather. Typical destinations are, assuming you stay in Happo-one, Iwatake, Tsugaike, Hakuba47 and Goryu. (Plus Kashimayari, Jiigatake, Sanosaka and Cortina in the case of Hakuba Tokyu.)
Of them, Tsugaike and Cortina are known well for backcountry skiing. (Not to mention Happo-one too.)
I'm no expert, so I may be wrong. Yet, at least, a beacon, a probe (aluminum/carbon fiber) bar and a shovel are a must-carry, just in case, if you know what I mean. Yes, that will depend on specifically which venue you go. Side-country skiing is doable at all the venues said above. Happo-one, Iwatake, Tsugaike, Hakuba47 and Kashimayari are well-known ski resorts for that. Yes, even Sanosaka too has a tough, though short-ish, slope for that. Sorry for the info overlow. But just couldn't be helped, for me to answer...
With all of that said, if you stay in Happo-one then you have all that you would like to do in here. And you have (shuttle bus) accesses from here to Iwatake, Tsugaike, and Hakuba47-plus Goryu also. So assuming you choose to stay in Happo-one, Hakuba Mominoki Hotel caters to your needs. Should you want an access to Cortina too, then Hakuba Tokyu Hotel (also located in Happo-one). Location-wise, the former wins handsdown, since it's only a couple of min' walk to the nearest piste, (called Kokusai, for international). Yes, a very long charlift ride (8 or so mins) awaits, with superb views unfolded above and below your eyes on sunny days. 80-90percent of the guests in Mominoki were overseas visitors last time I stayed. Um, yes, it used to be like you can ski down from Tokyu to the base gondola station, but gone are the days. And yes, Hakuba Tokyu is one notch above: 4 (or 4.5) star vs a tad less than 4. If there's one thing I didn't like about Mominoki is, their ski locker is way too less-spacious (and dated) compared to other hotels.' I got a cramped feeling anytime I chaned my footgear.
With all of that said above, nothing is dead-set for the next season, re shutle bus schedule. Yet, I don't think there'll be a major change. Should you want a ski-in and ski-out hotel, Cortina has a 4star. But I don't know how good/bad when you think of accessing to other ski resorts from here. Yes, options galore if you opt to stay in a condo-/villa- type accommodation place, though rates will sure be steeper. But in my mind's eye, they will arrange for you their own shuttle so they will whisk you to anyplace you want within the valley.
Happy planning!
Edited: 1 year agoThank you so much for the information! We just booked our flights and our Tokyo hotel in the Roppongi district.
Sending our ski gear ahead would be great, but our ski bags will be our only luggage. It appears as though some of the ski busses may be more convenient than the train, though both appear to be a good option.
For accommodations, we are looking in the Echoland area. From our research it seemed like this is the best location for reaching many of the ski areas by bus. We're pretty simple when it comes to accommodations, but it would be nice to find a place with a private onsen and a Japanese breakfast within walking distance of the transit center. We live in a resort area, and so we are used to walking around and riding busses wearing our gear. Thank you for any suggestions you might provide.
Re "it would be nice to find a place with a private onsen and a Japanese breakfast within walking distance of the transit center,"
yes, that would be nice. But nothing clicks in my head, now you are looking "in the Echoland area." *Private onsen plus Japanese breakfast* will be a major stumbling block to finding what you like to opt for, Imo
Also. in my understanding, Echoland is geared toward condo-type guests, rather than hotel/ryokan ones. If you want a good (or perhaps better) transit place, then Happo-one serves your purpose better, also Imo.
Edited: 1 year agoThank you for the additional information on using Happo-one as a hub. We have found several options there to investigate further.
With backcountry, and even resort skiing, we generally don't ski all day, and so we wanted to make sure we stay somewhere that we can get back to easily and relax before dinner.
Also, while my wife would love to ride the high speed train, it appears the ski bus is much more convenient compared to navigating public transportation dragging bags of skis.
Thank you again for your help and I'll probably check back again once we narrow down our accommodation choices in Hakuba a bit better..
Hi Slalomer!
Thanks again for the information. We settled on The Happo for our stay in Hakuba. It was a little pricey, but the onsen looks lovely, both food and service receive high marks, and they have king sized beds, unlike the Tokyu, which was our second choice. We are also considering either Northern Heights or Evergreen Backcountry for side-country and backcountry guided skiing on some of the days we are there.
Nice to have you back on here, FOTMM! Glad to hear you are going to stay in Happo. Dates not set yet, but if you ever see a skier with a blue helmet making/practicing fast and short carved turns below the line of a chairlift, then you may like to holler from above. ;-) Not sure what type of skier you are, but am I right to assume you tend to feel underwhelmed staying on well-groomed runs? If so then Hakuba can entertain you, no problem.
Yes, I am an on-piste skier, (side-country runs I include), rather than an off-piste one. Even when I am on my *getas*/fat ski boards (Völkl Mantra), so far I just can't bring myself in Happo to challenge the virgin slope called Urakuro, an abbreviated Japanese word (skiers' jargon) for *Opposite-Side Slope of Black Diamond.* Which is an off-piste run, a long and ultra-steep and gorgeous-looking slope that defies skiers, located at the back of Happo Hut, which you see at the final stop of the topmost lift. Scared you ask? You bet I am. ;-) This last Feb, where I stayed, I chatted with a man, a veteran off-piste skier, who said Urakuro is absolutely incredibly super-nice! Yes, he went on to say: all of the guys doing Urakuro are powder junkies. I had thought I was one, but I paled hearing his saga. ;-) Not sure if you give it a try, but do be careful should you get your adrenalin pumped up to see it. (Front-side) Black Diamond alone constitutes a challenging side-country run. Yes, Happo has a few other steep side-country runs, all rated as black runs with full of bumps, so (designated as) experts-only. But if an advanced skier with gutsy spirit and an above-a-certain-level of skill and then slows down than they want, then they will manage, I gather. In such paradisiacal suroundings, you'd never ever get tired of skiing in Happo. That I can assure you.
Happy, Happo!
We are very experienced in other disciplines, and have gained proficiency as telemark skiers over the past 4-5 seasons.
We both have "frontside" oriented skis to handle everything from groomers to moguls and glades. For those purposes, I cannot say enough about Black Crows for their combination of stiffness, responsiveness and lightweight playfulness.
For deep and untouched bottomless powder, our setups are burly. For example, I ride Kastle's fattest ski which, though a modest 115 underfoot, is as stiff as a race ski. The elliptical sidecut makes it quick in deep snow, but they're almost unmanageable on groomers. Like driving a tractor.
Our home resort is famous for extreme terrain, and we have skied it all, but on telemark we prefer mellower glades to the cliffs and hyper technical terrain we get at home.
https://youtu.be/kt-xDIz2eog?si=rRwdJGhR5Rsq5ARh
I took up skiing in the late 60s, so naturally I was accustomed to long camber ski boards (210-190cm in length), or, should I say, there was no (pronounced hourglass-shaped) carving skis in those days, meaning you had no other choice but to want to practice snappy and edge-y turns as you developed your skills. Yes, that was so much fun. But these years, it’s pretty hard to go against the trend when you know short carving skis make it by far easier to carve you way.
My frontside ones, probably categorized as such, are Völkl Mantra for on and off the groomers. Gives you fun, but obviously not as snappy/nimble as its sibling, Race Tiger SL. As a result, I tend to oftener ride on the latter (even with its tad bit added tip rocker) on groomers and hardpack, the former/Mantra obviously lacking in the same innate capabilities to carve. Yes, I like the floating sensation (sorry for a bit of hyperbole) you get with Mantra on the fresh snow. And yes, when dabbling off-piste "cruds," which is not as common though, Mantra becomes my best friend. I know I should do it more now I get Mantra, but I’m lacking in the stamina and gutsy spirit involved.
At any event, Happo-one caters to the need of backcountry skiers. Not sure if you like this, but for your reference sake, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnlcxMzVOzc
No, not Urakuro (which image is often used as a cover-photo of some homepages), but the video depicts: Happo-yama to Happo-zawa to Kuzure-zawa, (all on the other side of Urakuro/the valleys flanked by Hakuba47 and Happo-one). Yes, belaboring the obvious, I gather having a guide/instructor is a must-have. Yours should know about the venue if having expertise on the backcountry in Hakuba. Reward will be tremendous, I imagine, for backcountry skiers.
Wherever you go, have a blast in Hakuba!
Sorry, forgot to say: thanks for the link provided. Lucky you!
