Hakuba Valley Resort Skiing

During my research the online forums kept saying...

 "Hokkaido is deep / Hakuba is steep" 

Nagano Station

Then a direct bus to Hakuba. JR Pass not accepted. Instead you had to take an inefficient route involving local trains. So the best way is the 1 hour bus ride but it was rather expensive all things considered as this stop to the Hakuba Valley was my last major destination of the trip. 

Arriving in Hakuba late into the evening

Food truck central with a mix of Japanese and Australian vibes

Even advertising for Australian Physiotherapy right in the town

This town has the whole apres ski hill night life scene and you 100% will meet other international folks. Felt quite different than Yuzawa and central Hokkaido.

From the bus window. The shuttles were effective for getting around between the resorts. Sometimes at the end of the day you were waiting with a large bunch and when a single bus arrived it was a swarm of humans trying to get on. It was fun bouncing between the different resorts throughout the day. 

I started at the northern most resorts and planned to work my way south back to the city. The backcountry season was ending with access at Norikura Onsen already closed. There was still tons of untracked terrain in the out of bounds zones but it would be great to come back here and explore with the skins some more. 

A lone ski patroller was slowly making his way down the ridge

Lower slopes of Norikura Onsen

I skied over to Hakuba Cortina which my research indicated was best on a powder day. Thsi proved to be true but each resort had its own cool spots that one has to seek out. I remember texting people the goods and recording videos for reference but I am not sure if I will be able to remember. (writing this in June and I was here in Feb... always a struggle with not getting these posts done ASAP. 

This was the longest lift lane at the high lift. Many good turns were had here. 

Crossed paths with a Japanese Serrow

Initially this was intimidating since I had no idea what species this was and had to look it up later. 

There was often a blurred line between whether or not it is okay to duck rope lines. Many locals simply won't do it but at the big resorts like Niseko and here, it is a pretty common practice, probably more common and abused by the internationals unfortunately. Tons of different vibes among the skiers here. I had an amazing interaction with a local guy at Zoa Onsen the week prior on the train rides south which I will write about on that post. 

This guy has been skiing in Habuba for decades. Back in the day before shinkasen bullet trains, he used to take the overnight train from Tokyo and would sleep on the floor. Then ski during the following day and train home again at night.

Patroller closing runs before sweep

Iwatake

I don't recall much from this resort other than in bounds tree stashes at the upper lift. Hard to remember everythign from a while ago but I will keep poking around. 

Overall a big day with 3 resorts covered and tired legs. 

Cortina / Norikura GPS GPS 

Kogen / Iwatake GPS GPS

Day 2 brought 2 more of the ski hills and the long travel back to Tokyo which was a big day and I was sad to be leaving Hakuba so soon after 2 nights and really only 1 full day. But being able to dip my toes into this zone and get a general glimpse of the area was awesome to say the least. 

Hakuba 47 / Goryu GPS GPS 

Happo One GPS GPS 

These 2 ski hills are on the southern side of major river body and you first get a glimpse of them on the bus ride in the Nagano. These resorts had big terrain and more exposed to weather. 

Backcountry gate at the top of Happo with a prominent and tight ridge one could follow

The backcountry terrain along the ridge

Potential run on the backside

I have come to enjoy skiing the rope lines and getting a sense for the scale of the resort and peering into the neighboring terrain. Also always looking for more of the accessible goods. 

Old lift from the 1998 Olympics