Week 2 - Familiar Ground

We met up with more friends from Australia in Niseko. Our plans had been arranged around the fact that several friends hadn’t seen the Sapporo Snow & Ice Festival before and so we all decided to spend that week in Niseko. Of course that is traditionally the busiest week in Niseko and Sapporo.

Yotei zan in full view Where the branches are low

Now our greater group consisted of around 14, but as we were dispersed into different accommodations around the village, we generally skied and boarded in much smaller groups.

Paul in Miharashi

There had been plenty of changes since last year in Hirafu. A new chairlift, new bars and restaurants, a new bridge towards Kutchan and a new gate to the peak.

Peter also inbounds

We didn’t have a lot of new snow this week but with a good load of past experience we managed to find enough powder to keep us on the mountain for 6 hours a day.

Power to the girls Sally in Miharashi Karen in Raspberries

The new two-seater chairlift has been put in to provide access from the Hirafu side to the Hanazono side of the mountain. Currently it is known as the “No Name” lift. You can guess why. Unfortunately, the lift is all wrong. It so doesn’t fit in.

Firstly, you don’t have to climb to get on the lift and you don’t have to climb after you get off the lift. It doesn’t have a bubble to protect you from the wind and worse still, it has replaced the two rope tows. The “Roy’s” area of off piste has been ruined as it is now one of the main access ways to Hanazono and if you take the lower section towards the Family Run you must return to the gondola because there is no rope tow #2 to bring you back to Hanazono. Worst of all, if strong winds close the triple they often close the new lift leaving you no way to access Hanazono by lifts. Personally I think it sucks but then when you look at the tracked out snow around it, it must be popular.

Paul on the meat hook The climb to the peak on a clear day Trashing the peak

A new gate to the peak off piste area has been implemented at the top of the King single chair aka Parrot Perch or the Meat Hook lift. Ski Patrol closely monitor access through this gate and will generally give peak-climbers (those keen enough to climb to the top) a head start before the new gate is opened so that the climbers still get first tracks off the peak. Although providing many more with access to the peak, I think the gate was a good idea and has stopped many from having to do the wrong thing and poach. The gate is now only closed when there is real avalanche danger above Hana #3 lift.

Paul (there were 2 Pauls & 2 Richards in our group) having his first peak experience

The new bars and restaurants bring even more variety and colour to the village of Hirafu. In particular the Ice Bar and the Turkish Restaurant are very interesting new establishments.

Why the peak? Peter Paul

Unfortunately as expected, there were some Australians that simply don’t have a clue and as occurred last year very embarrassing to all other civilised Australians in the region. The sooner the yobbos have done the “Japanese thing” and go back to whatever rock they climbed out from, the better.

One of those rare sunny days when you can't stop smiling Peter, Paul and Karen

At the end of a week in Niseko it was back on the trains, planes and automobiles (not necessarily in that order) to another new destination.