Niseko in Hokkaido Japan – Skiing Japanese Powder

By: Chris Abbott

Mountain Statistics

Number of chair lifts:  35
Number of Gondolas:     3
Number of Magic Carpets:        5
Hanazono Bell Tower:    308m
Peak Altitude:  1308m
Vertical Drop:  1000m
Highest Lifted Point:   1200m
Lifts open:     8:30am
Lifts close:    9:00pm
Mountain restaurants:   17

The Niseko area is known for some of the best off-piste powder skiing and boarding in the world. No other destination receives such consistently perfect powder. Niseko is a geographical magnet for weather systems delivering snow storms from the Siberian Peninsula and after filling with moisture on their way across the Sea of Japan these massive fronts collide and Hanazono in Niseko is the first place in their path dumping up to 16 metres of snow in a season. It is not unusual for guests to find themselves enveloped in snow, or as we say, “experiencing the White Room”, as they bounce their way down the slopes.

HANAZONO, SO MUCH MORE

Ideal for skiing and riding at any level, the area offers outstanding beginner slopes; wide open runs for cruising and access to some of the most awe inspiring powder you will experience anywhere in the world.
Great service, covered lifts with almost no queues and world class facilities are just some of the benefits waiting to indulge you at Hanazono.
Catch the Hanazono Bus for first morning tracks; the lift opens at 8.30 am so you can enjoy the virgin powder on Strawberry or Blueberry fields before anyone else arrives.

Hanazono is situated 1,000 metres below the peak of Mount Niseko-Annupuri or at 308 metres above sea level. That means you can access 1,000 vertical metres of non-stop pure, perfect powder back down to Hanazono.

On a clear day, this climb is rewarded with the ultimate ski or ride experience, where views from the Peak are truly awe-inspiring, spanning from the slopes of nearby Mt Yotei (the North Island’s answer to Mt Fuji) all the way to the ocean’s edge.

Words by Jeff Jeltema

I get excited before any ski trip, really excited.   The closest thing I could compare it too is how a child feels in the weeks leading up to Christmas, knowing that he is on the “nice list”.  Except instead of checking under the tree for presents every morning, I find myself checking snow reports and weather forecasts of my destination on a daily basis.  And when the ski trip promises fresh powder turns at a top rated cat-skiing operation, the anticipation is almost unbearable.  This was the case last February as my good friend Bill and I had booked a trip to British Columbia to experience Fernie Wilderness Adventures (FWA).

Fernie Wilderness Adventures Top of Tree Run. Photo by Brian Pollock.

On previous trips to interior BC, I’ve always been impressed with the fantastic snow, great terrain variation, and spectacular scenery; so obviously I couldn’t wait to get back there.  However, in January while compulsively checking the snow totals, something wasn’t right.  I kept seeing sad snow reports with only trace amounts of accumulation.  Where was all the powder?  Yet with the Fernie area averaging nearly 30 feet of snow per season, I was not giving up hope.  They were due for a big storm; the odds were in our favor.  As the trip grew closer with still no respectable accumulation I got desperate and even started praying to the snow god Ullr to come through for us.  I always seem to have a great time when I’m skiing, no matter what the conditions are like, but the primary reason for booking a cat trip is for those soft, fresh, untracked turns.  Was this trip going to be a bust?

The departure date finally arrived and Bill and I met up in Denver en route to Kalispell, Montana.  As we were nearing the end of our flight, the pilot came over the intercom to inform us that because of the weather in Kalispell, there was a chance we would have to land in Missoula.  This got my hopes up, thinking that maybe Ullr had answered my prayers and the snow was finally arriving.  However, as we pressed on and proceeded to land in Kalispell, much to my dismay I realized that the concern was over fog, not snow.  We stayed that night in Whitefish, a short drive from Glacier International Airport.  Before driving to Fernie, our plan was to spend a day checking out Whitefish Mountain Resort.  The thick fog was still lingering the following morning but as we left town and started climbing out of the valley, we were soon above the fog.  Up here it was a brilliant, sunny day.  However, the conditions did nothing to raise my hopes that we would have much powder on our cat trip.  As temperatures rose, the morning crust turned to afternoon slush.  We were able to find a few soft turns in the heavily gladed north facing aspects of Hellroaring basin, but they were few and far between.  Every local we talked to kept saying, “you should have been here last year.”  This was not a good sign.

Jeff Jeltema @ FWA. Photo by Brian Pollock.

After the lifts closed we got in the car and went up to Fernie, an easy 2 hour drive.  Fernie is a little town in the East Kootenays tucked between picturesque mountain ranges.  It is home to multiple cat-skiing operations as well as Fernie Alpine Resort.  On this trip we had two days booked on the snowcats of Fernie Wilderness Adventures.  FWA was started by Kim and Deb Sedrovic back in 1986 as a fishing tour operation, but in 1995 they added cat-skiing to the menu with the addition of a small, vintage snowcat.  They’ve since expanded their operation and can now accommodate over thirty guests a day, utilizing three cats.   For an additional fee FWA also offers full room and board in their rustic lodge.  Staying at the lodge is a great option for those looking for a peaceful vacation to get away from it all, and we heard they have an amazing spring water filled, wood burning hot tub.  However the number of rooms is limited so if you would like to stay, book early.  We chose to stay in town about 20 minutes away.  Fernie is a typical little ski town with plenty of bars, restaurants, and hotels.  As with any ski town close to a major city, it gets busy on the weekends and slows down during the week.  Before calling it a night, we decided it would be a good idea to store up energy for the big day ahead.  To consume the required carbohydrates, we chose to binge on the standard fare in most ski towns, pizza and beer.

The next morning we arrived at the FWA lodge and were greeted with hot coffee and tea while we waited for rest of the guests to arrive, but still no fresh snow.  After some quick instructions, beacon distribution, and waiver signing, we loaded our gear onto the snowcat and took off.  From the lodge, it’s about a forty-five minute cat ride up the valley to the top.  Halfway into the ride, we stopped and got out for a quick refresher course on beacon use, avalanche safety, and rescue procedures.  The first two runs of the day, named “Gonzo” and “Egg Roll”, were good warm up runs through an area with a nice gentle pitch.  The top portion of this area is gladed enough to keep the snow soft, but the trees are far enough apart that it is easy to carry a lot of speed.  The bottom half opens up into a large clear cut where you can really let your boards run.  The snow in this section wasn’t the deepest or freshest, but it was pretty good considering the lack of recent precipitation.  After a few runs, we took the cat took further up the ridge to an area called “The Little Quarry Trees”.  On the way up our guide told us that this steep, north facing slope always held good snow.  He was right.  It was full of knee deep blower pow, amazing.  Although a relatively short run, this was by far the best of the day.

FWA provides lunch, but does not stop for a lunch break in order to maximize the number of runs in a day.  Instead the guests just help themselves to sandwiches, cookies, and fruit in the cat whenever they are hungry, a brilliant idea.  A hot gourmet lunch is great, but if my legs arrived throbbing I would rather ski more.  That day we got in thirteen runs under beautiful blue bird skies, and to cap it off cold beers were provided for the cat ride back to lodge, a nice touch.   Back at the lodge, we warmed up with some hot soup while watching a slide show of all the action shots the professional photographer took of us during the day.   Individual photos or entire slide shows can be purchased, which most guests do, because the FWA photographers get some amazing shots.  All in all, despite the lack of fresh snow, it still turned out to be a phenomenal day.

When we woke the next day, Ullr had finally answered my prayers.  I looked out the window and it was coming down hard!  That morning the lodge had a different feel.  You could sense and excitement and anticipation the fresh snow had brought in.  We started the day off skiing an area that had yet to be touched all season.  This was followed by a few runs on “The Dark Side”.  Both of these areas were incredible, with a nice steep pitch to help you keep your speed up through the deep snow they held.  Although the snowfall tapered off by late morning, the trend of skiing perfect runs continued all day.  The knowledgeable FWA guides continued to lead us through the powder stashes run after run.

Bill Wanrooy @ FWA. Photo by Brian Pollock.

FWA offers a wide variety of terrain that can satisfy skiers and riders with many different ability levels, often on the same run.  The terrain is not filled with the crazy billygoat lines you see in ski movies, but it is interesting enough to keep expert skiers happy.  At the top of a few runs, the guide will inform you of features (read: small cliff bands) that will come up on the run.  Then it’s up to each guest to make their own run as mellow or exciting as they want by avoiding the features or hitting them head on, no pressure either way.  The majority of terrain FWA utilizes is on the upper half of the mountain, so the slopes stay cooler, and they consistently get fresh windblown snow even in the midst of a drought.  This also eliminates the presence of a massive avalanche danger constantly looming above, a problem that many other cat operations must deal with. These types of slopes look great on a brochure, but the fact is that these slopes usually just tease guests, since they can almost never be skied because the risk is too high for a commercial operation.

After another stellar day of powder skiing at FWA, we sat down for a beer with the owner Kim.  He mentioned that back when FWA was starting to gain a reputation as a great fishing tour operation, a popular fishing magazine wanted to do an article on them.  His reply was “Fuck No!  I don’t want all those people coming out here”.  He started out with the same mentality for the cat-skiing, wanting to keep the all the powder for himself and his friends, and just having a good time.  However, this article is evidence that his attitude is starting to change, and he now willing to share the wealth. Ever year FWA is growing bigger and bigger, busier and busier.  They have rights to ski an expansive amount of terrain, much of which they have only started to explore, so untracked turns are guaranteed to be there day after day, year after year. However, with their growing popularity, there is no guarantee of open seats on their snowcats.  Therefore, I suggest reserving your seat with Fernie Wilderness Adventures sooner than later.

For more information, or to book a day of cat-skiing with FWA, check out their website.

When the snow came, it came as a great downpour. Falling in tight groups like silver dollar pancakes being flipped onto the Sierra Madres, it landed with weighted impact. In the Rockies, where I am used to riding, the flakes drift and nestle. They rest on top of one another trapping air to build a fluffy top layer. Here at Tahoe’s north shore, on top of Pacific Crest’s 2000 acres of privately leased land, the snow was dense, thick and not about to stop. Our guide Ward was pointing out our boundaries, but I could not look him in the face. Instead, my head was fixed upwards into the barrage of heavy clumps that fell ceaselessly. In seconds my goggles filled with landed clusters, my shoulders caught a solid layer of white crystal icing and the creases of my jacket gathered ravines of fresh powder. I cracked a wide smile and snow fell on my teeth. In these conditions, this day would be epic, and if the snow kept coming, like the forecast predicted, we would be thankfully stranded in a storm of “sierra cement.”

The group met at Pacific Crest’s office and got sorted right away. Skis and boards were strapped to the top of the van, introductions were made and without wasting time the staff had us en route to their area. Though confident in my riding and stronger than most in the resort, this was my first backcountry trip and I was nervous. Chutes, drop-offs, tight trees, big airs and mach speeds are not foreign to me, however, by nature the backcountry is wild, remote and unpredictable… would it be extreme and dangerous as well? Looking at our group, I could tell that I was not the only person with some reservation. But, it is immediately evident that Pacific Crest’s staff is not amateur, they are concerned, experienced professional guides trained in avalanche science and well seasoned to leading tours of mixed skill levels. Their intent is not only to provide a dynamite day of adventurous fresh turns, but also to educate and inform skiers of what safe backcountry riding is. Before boarding the cat Ward briefed us on their backcountry protocol in both normal and emergency situations. Then, at the top of our first run, he demonstrated how the provided transponder works and how to use it. To a backcountry veteran, the lesson may have seemed redundant, but to a group of mixed riders the 15 minute practical exercise was definitely reassuring to everyone. Now it was time to ride.

Twelve inches had already fallen the night before, so our morning runs were filled with fresh whoops in what I thought was deep powder. The air was clear and clean and from where we stood, Lake Tahoe glistened in the distance beyond snow covered hills. The sky, a brilliant blue, shone sunlight onto our first run- an untouched glade with nice rolls and fairly widely spaced trees. In good warden virtue, Pacific Crest only uses old logging routes to access their terrain and disturbs no trees in their operation. This makes the ascension a bit slower, but the riding is most natural and low impact. At one point I was following another track through a tree grouping when I looked up to see a four footed figure running towards me using the trail as an avenue. It was about the size of a small dog, perhaps a coyote? But when it made a sharp turn and darted up a tree, I could see that it was a large Lynx (something that was not covered in the safety protocol) and I was reminded of the connection to nature that riding through the woods can be. By eleven, a low pressure front had moved in and the snow began. It fell without stopping for the rest of that day, through the night, through the next day and into the following night finally accumulating some 30 inches of powder.

Rider: Josh Williams, Photographer: Tim Engel

The twelve person cat delivered us to pristine peaks where we launched our runs. Always, at least two guides monitored the group, laying out boundaries and establishing rendezvous points. The terrain is accommodating to all skill levels so, even though there were intermediate skiers with us, we could still push our individual limits. At one point we stood at a magnificent saddle back ridge looking down on an untouched face and basin of deep powder. The wind whipped at our backs, blowing snow off the cornice. My hand shot up immediately, in a moment of uncontrolled selfishness, when our guide Carl asked who wanted to go first. Before he could finish saying “it’s all you…” I was tearing down the wide open face, ejecting rooster tail wakes that rose well above my head while inhaling heaps of powder. This was exactly what I had dreamed about during my snowless summers.

At midday we stopped for an elaborate sandwich bar that one of the guides had prepared under a small shelter of trees while we were riding down. Turkey, roast beef, salami, banana peppers, pickles, olives, tomatoes, sprouts, avocadoes, trail mix, dried fruit, cookies and chocolate bars were all bought fresh that morning and then sliced and stacked just before we arrived. Sodas, bottled water, hot chocolate and tea warmed our bellies and washed down the top heavy sandwiches. The ice chest came out again at the end of the day and we all enjoyed a cold celebratory brew on the way down.

Accommodation in the Lake Tahoe area is not hard to find, though budget accommodation might be difficult. There are plenty of mid to high range hotels, condos and homes to rent. And anywhere from Truckee (which lays claim to one of the highest averages of snow fall in the US) to Stateline (where Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis downed twisted martinis) is within a 25 minute drive to their door. Also, food prices and quality vary in accordance to taste. Rotisserie chicken and a bag of salad from the super market are about a cheap as Taco Bell or slices of pizza. Quality, selection and price rise from there. There are plenty of pubs for après beers and finer establishments for cognac. We stayed a short 20 minute drive away along the North shore in Nevada where, if my gambling history were more merited, I may have tried to pay for the trip with a roll of the dice.

Still snowing at the end of our second and last day of riding, we found ourselves in a conundrum. How could we leave in the morning when the mountains were still being pounded by one of the largest storms this year? The answer was obvious, and reinforced as we sat drinking draft PBRs talking to Carl before returning to our hotel… we couldn’t. Here is a tip (but don’t quote me on it): if you reschedule a flight, you’ll probably be charged a fee ($150US in our case) whereas, if you inform them that you’ll miss your flight… maybe even tell them that chain law is in effect and there is no way that you can make it, then you can chance it and fly stand by (for free) whenever you do arrive to the airport. Also a patrolman at one of the resorts in the area, Carl made our decision easy. He hooked us up with two half price lift ticket coupons for the day and mentioned that he could point us in the right direction on the mountain. The resort had been closed over the weekend due to the massive amounts of snow and it was just reopening at about the same time that our flight took off from Reno. I couldn’t resist snaking the best powder in Tahoe from my friends in the bay area who brag about their mountains in the west.

End of the day.

Again, like the morning we arrived, the sun shone through the clouds and opened onto deep layers of fresh temporal flakey bliss. The lake glistened in the immediate distance, reflecting a blue sky. With mischievous grins we carved down steep faces swallowing powder shots, laughing like children. By the time that we made it back to the airport, we had experienced the best of the Sierras. As we were issued our two standby boarding passes for the last flight that day, the airline staff member asked, “So, did you really get snowed in, or were you just stealing my powder?” “Give me that boarding pass and I’ll tell you,” I replied with a smile.

Now, to be journalistically ethical, I should make one suggestion to anyone who is considering a backcountry cat trip. The next one that I book (and there will be more) I will try to make sure that I am riding with people who are all around my skill level. It seems that the best way to make the most of your time and money is to try and book an entire cat for your own group. Gather your friends (if you can find 11 of them) and talk them into uniting for a day of fabulous entertainment while playing with gravity in the depths of untouched snow. If that happens to be in the Tahoe area, then call Pacific Crest because you won’t be disappointed.

Words by Josh Williams.

Sunrise over Lake Tahoe, by Josh Williams

The Colorado winter began slowly, evoking a nervous vibe among the powder hounds. We’d seen this before though. We knew it would come but we just were not sure when. It was late December when the white fluff finally arrived, falling in copious amount; the San Juan’s were pummeled with snow totals into the nineties to hundreds of inches.

The destination was Monarch Snow Cat Tours, which are located right on Highway 50 just west of Salida Colorado. Monarch is located in the Sawatch Range just north and east of the San Juan’s. Being shaped like a catchers mitt, they too had been blessed with a 90+ inch base by mid January.

Pops, Jeff and I made our way to Monarch Mountain for a day of cat skiing. Little did we know it would end up being one of the best times as well as one of the strangest. Pops and I skied Monarch on Friday and Jeff made it up later that night. That afternoon a small little storm rolled over the Mountain and blessed us with a solid inch. I was thinking, perfect, just a little more soft stuff on top of a few feet of blower would make the backcountry just right.

After Pops and I finished skiing and enjoying a few Barley pops, we headed into Salida. We were directed to a Ski shop on F Street called Head Waters to get some bindings mounted where we met Ray, Avery and MacGyver. They took great care of us and we dropped them a few Cat and Heli guides and a six pack for their troubles. Avery sent us to Bentleys about a block a way from the shop for happy hour. What a great bar! Good appetizers, great beer prices, and good people! Once we had enough to drink we rumbled over to Laughing Ladies Restaurant where I had one of the best meals I can remember in a long time. The owners are originally from Napa and thank god they made it to Salida! Their signature dish is the Pork Chop. Which I hear is excellent. I however have been on a duck kick and went that route, while Pops went for the beef tri tip. The orange roasted half duck with sweet onion relish on crispy polenta is absolutely out of this world. Laughing Ladies was definitely the second best part of our trip, the first being the skiing of course.

The next day started with a six am wake up that I really didn’t want to be a part of, mostly due the libations. We all managed to rally as soon as we realized what was awaiting us in a few short hours. At Monarch skiers gather up at about eight o’clock in the lodge, meet their guides and the rest of the people on the cat for the day.

It appeared to be a pretty strong group. We head up the lift to meet the cat and head out of bounds for our adventure. It was a short ride to our first drop off point. Our first run was an open face with severe wind affected snow at the top of the ridge. Once we dropped in, the snow turned to a cream wind blown butter. We made a couple more warm up runs and headed to a different area of their terrain and started skiing some steeper trees. This is where we got the goods! There was great soft snow, excellent pitch and a few small rock drops to make everything a little more interesting. We ended up riding this area for quite some time and in my opinion skied it out. I felt bad for the people coming in tomorrow…well, not really. We eventually made our way over to the large open bowl just slightly above tree line. The cornice was pretty large but there were many easy entrance with little drop. We skied it one at a time for avalanche safety. This is a common practice in Cat and Heli adventures in the States. We dropped into a nice little chute that happened to be holding some nice buttery turns. Jeff on the other hand decided to go a bit bigger. We didn’t see the fall but did watch from 1200 feet below as he worked back up to his ski that he had left about fifty feet above him. We made our break for lunch around 1pm and headed back to the lodge where they had grub waiting. The group enjoyed a lunch of Brisket, fresh rolls and some of the hottest green chili this gringo has ever tasted. The Brisket isn’t going to win any awards, but to a hungry group of skiers it was gone in minutes. Once we all finished up with lunch it was back to the lift to meet the cat at the top of the mountain. We ended up heading back to the steep trees. No one was complaining about it since they were the longest and best runs of the day so far. It was about knee deep in there with a 35-40 degree pitch, which made for some great skiing and riding. As the day started to draw to a close our last few runs were on the out of bounds side of the Mirkwood bowl area. The snow was the deepest here and softest but the runs were short, three to five hundred vertical feet, however for any powder hound like myself it really didn’t matter. Fresh deep tracks are fresh deep tracks!

By the time we all got back down to the resort lodge the ski area had closed and most of the people had left the parking lot. So the three of us headed to the bar there and hung out with a few locals, bought our guide a beer, and shot the breeze for a bit before heading back to the “Shining,” other wise known as the Monarch Lodge.

Recommendations: If you were headed to Monarch for a day or longer, I’d stay in Salida. I’d visit Laughing Ladies, and Bentleys for drinks and food, plus I’d talk to the locals to get any more info on where to eat or drink. Since I didn’t have a lot of time to check out every restaurant and bar in town I can only tell you what I know. The locals in Salida are very helpful and some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met in a ski town, and that’s pretty hard to do. The Arkansas river also passes right through here so there is also some great rafting and river kayaking available. Check out Head Waters next to the bridge on F street to get all your river and white water information and rentals. It’s also a great ski shop. If you’re staying over night, pass on the Monarch Lodge located about three miles from the resort. Stay in Salida. Find something there like a B&B or a smaller well known motel.

Words by Tim Engel