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 8:30am super-groomer under the gondola |
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The resort of Niseko-Hirafu was originally three separate resorts. Niseko Alpen and Niseko Kogen are the oldest and similar to the old Orange and Blue lift system that used to exist at Mt Buller in Victoria the two resorts were side by side each with their own on slope facilities. Hanazono is the newest area of the three and consequently is serviced by the newest lifts (3 detachable quads).
The remainder of the
lifts consisted of a 6 seater gondola, a couple of rope tows, 2 quads, a triple
chair, a few doubles and two single chairs. Foot rests are a rarity but the three
chairlifts with hooded covers were a god-send during heavy snow falls. Beware, however,
that these hooded covers automatically drop down as you depart the chairlift station. More
than once there was an unexpected bang on the head for anyone forgetting to sit back in
the seat.
The gondola base is listed at 295m above sea-level. That's low and certainly the lowest altitude that I have ever skied. It also explains why the snow goes off really quickly once Spring weather sets in. The peak is listed on the trail map at 1309m. To my estimation that's about the equivalent of the Nat. Park gates on the alpine road into Thredbo and a good 60m below the altitude of Thredbo village.
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| It's a thermometer and operational too |
The obvious answer as to why there is so much good snow at such altitudes is because the resort is so far north. West of Niseko is the Sea of Japan and then Siberia - I'll say no more.
The lifts operate from 8:30 am till 8:30 pm every day. The lights kick in whenever they are needed and it was not uncommon to see some of the super spotlights to be blazing away in the middle of the afternoon if the weather caused the ambient light to drop too low.
There is a shuttle bus servicing the resort accommodation to and from the lifts. This shuttle is ONLY for skiers and boarders so if you want to use it to carry your shopping you best carry your skis or board.
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The shuttles run till about 9:30pm so night skiers/boarders can get back from the slopes. I'm still not convinced about the night skiing thing. 12 hours after grooming the piste is really cut up. If you are lucky enough to get a late dump then it could be better especially off piste but certainly it is worth a look at the trees and slopes under spotlight.
How many Australians were in Niseko? On several occasions when I ventured inside the Mountain Hut Cafe (the largest on slope cafeteria) it was 50% full of Australians. Apart from one Estonian, one Brit and one Irishman every other westerner I met was Australian. Worse still, everyone was there for the powder. Another interesting observation was that the majority of the Aussies were boarders and the majority of the Japanese on piste were skiers. By far the greatest number of off piste users were boarders. Don’t panic. Everyone was very well behaved on and off piste unlike the experiences some snow users encounter back home.
 Looking back down the gondola |
 Hanazono area is the newest - nice trees too |
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