Expat Living Singapore – July 2019

TRAVEL

JULY 2019 117

Maximising Your Skiing
One of the drawbacks of this weather
system is high winds that roll in with
each new front. Wind can impact lift
operations. At best, the highest lifts close,
limiting access to the back-country and
making it hard to access all four valleys
on the Niseko United pass. At worst, only
the lowest lifts open. This restricts skiing
to the bunny slopes, hardly worth the cost
of the pass. While mandatory rest days
are annoying, the bonus is epic powder
when the lifts reopen, with loads of
accumulated snow ready to be explored.
Maybe book a couple of extra days on
your trip to compensate for windy, ski-
less days; or hire a snowmobile or book
a cross-country tour for that day.
Unsurprisingly, these amazing
conditions are no longer a secret –
every year sees more skiers hit the
slopes. And, with constant development
delivering ever larger and more luxurious
accommodation to the area, this isn’t
likely to stop. Having said that, lift
queues are still relatively short compared
to Europe and North America. The key
lifts experience peaks at opening time
on powder days, and mid-morning can
be busy. But it’s easy to ski around the
congestion by using the less popular lifts
and choosing the quieter times of the day.
In addition to Niseko United, Rusutsu
and Kiroro ski fields sit in this same snowy
sweet-spot. Both are worth exploring.
Rusutsu is only 30 minutes from Niseko
United and is great for intermediate
skiers, with plenty of wide groomed red
runs snaking around Mount Isola and
East Mountain. It’s not uncommon to
have these runs to yourself. While the
volume of day-trippers to Rusutsu is on
the rise, it’s rare to queue for a lift there.
The main point of congestion can be the
morning lift ticket queue.
Once you have a Rusutsu lift card, you can
recharge it online (hokkaido-rusutsu.com/
en-gb/mountains/lift), which will save
you time in the morning. If you don’t have
a car, there’s a daily bus from the Hirafu
Welcome Centre to Rusutsu. And the
ski guiding companies offer full-service
day-trips complete with transport and

guide. (A guide comes in handy if you

plan to explore the extensive Rusutsu

back-country.)

A guide is also good for exploring

Kiroro, which has a limited number

of groomed slopes and plenty of off-

piste. Kiroro gets even more snow

than Niseko United and is famous for

very deep, untracked powder. It has

limited accommodation and so there

is little competition for fresh tracks. If

you join the Kiroro Mountain Club

(kiroro.co.jp/mountain_club/), you can

ski the members’ exclusive area with even

less skier competition.

There’s a proliferation of ski tuition

and guiding companies in Niseko,

and the instructors vary in their level

of experience. We have used Bryan

Cleaver from Next Stage Sports

(nextstagesnowsports.com). He has 27

seasons as an instructor and trains many

of the new instructors for the local ski

schools; he also has an uncanny ability to

spot a little technique that can make a big

difference to how you ski. His extensive

back-country knowledge covers all three

resorts, so he can help you find endless

untracked snow.

Accommodation, Eats &

More

One of the advantages of Niseko United

for foreigners is the availability of great

quality Western-style accommodation.

Many of the properties are self-catering

apartments with kitchens and laundry

facilities. Most other Japanese resorts (like

Rusutsu and Kiroro) mainly offer hotel-

style accommodation, with far fewer

restaurant choices.

The majority of accommodation in the

Niseko area is in Hirafu village. We’ve

stayed at Hyatt House, which benefits

from a central location. I’ve also heard

good reports about Skye Niseko and The

Maples, both of which are ski-in, ski-out.

There are two main supermarkets in

Hirafu: Sapporo Drug and Seicomart.

They offer a fairly limited range of food,

but plenty of booze. Larger supermarkets

are located in the nearby town of Kutchan,

which can be reached by taxi or on the

Niseko local bus. The Co-op is located at

the Niseko train station, also where the

bus stops. It’s worth shopping in Kutchan

for both the range and the lower prices.

Hirafu village has plenty of restaurants

and bars. They’re small, and they fill up

quickly. One of the best is Izakaya Bang

Bang (nisekobangbang.com/en/), whose

extensive menu includes Hokkaido

seafood and yakitori – book well in

advance. Another spot is Raku, which

doesn’t take bookings. It opens at 6pm

and fills quickly, then turns over tables

at about 7.30. Get there at those two

times for the best chance of getting a

table. A more formal option is Locanda,

just outside Hirafu village, offering a set

menu combining classic Italian flavours

together with the attention to detail of

Japanese kaiseki cuisine.

After a hard day on the slopes, Powder

Yoga, located inside the AYA Niseko

hotel, is a good place to stretch out. There

are also many places offering massages,

and several public onsen (Japanese hot

springs), essential for tired legs.

Niseko makes skiing in Japan easy for

foreigners, as English is more common

than Japanese. Still, everything from the

food and polite service to the onsen will

remind you that you’re still in Japan – as

will the view from your hotel window

every morning. Watching those fat light

snowflakes pile up, the only question will

be: “How much fresh snow did the Niseko

Express deliver last night?”