First Japan trip.. Hakuba?
Hey everyone,
I’m a newb on this forum and pretty new to snowboarding in general!
I made my first trip to the snow in Aus last season and loved every minute of it. I’m not keen to wait until next winter to get out on a mountain again so I’m looking at a short, 1 week trip to Japan.
At this stage i’ll probably be heading out there with my brother in late Jan or early Feb 2012.
I’ve been tossing up between Niseko or Hakuba, but at this stage i’m leaning more towards Hakuba.. I think Hakuba will be easier to get to (given we’re only there for a week this makes a difference), and I think there will be more that enough snow for us in Hakuba without having to venture further north. I’ve also heard from some friends that head out to Niseko every year, that there are so many aussies in Niseko that sometimes you don’t feel like you’re getting the full Japan experience.
Do you guys think Hakuba will be worthwhile?
Can you recommend anywhere to stay? (not keen on dorm style with shared bathrooms)
Is the powder in Hakuba super deep? not sure if my Burton Uninc 156 will do the job…
What resorts do you think are the best in Hakuba and why? preferably for intermediate riders
I’m kind of shitted i left it this late to think about it as it looks like heaps of the october deals are all finished up.
welcome…whether hakuba or niseko, you’ll have a blast…in my experience, niseko better for powder but it is all relative in particular if your previous experience was in oz…nozawa onsen is a good spot to look into in the main island and if you decide to venture to sapporo (not that much harder really), try moiwa which is about 15 minutes from niseko…phenomenal powder and tree runs and a very local mountain…
if you end up going in february, a few less aussies around but we are not that bad really…
Niseko will cost a bit more and you will spend a lot more time in transit
Hakuba - definitely worth while…also right as better option considered your short stay.(anything under 2weeks i consider too short 
thats just me)
as its a snow sport its hit and miss on conditions
Niseko does have more consistent POW but when i was there it was on par to our Hakuba trip previous year.
your 156 board is relative to your weight/size and the pow is dependant on the season/time of arrival
still got time for deals to Japan…have missed the early bird specials though.
none of my mates even booked airfares yet
if you station yourself properly
you can visit most of the resorts from the same hotel
place we stayed at Hotel Hakuba…runs shuttle buses to the bus terminal
From there you can onward shuttle to the 4 main ones around Hakuba
Happo - 1
Goryu/Hakuba 47 - two resorts stuck combined at top
Tsugaike
Welcome to Boardworld, Busta! 
You’ll be stoked with Hakuba. My first and only trip to Japan was to Hakuba. I went there mainly to get away for the crowds and ride steeper mountains. We had a blast and I can’t wait to go back. I was there in February and we got so much snow - it was insane!
Personally, I really loved Happo One, however this is one of the more advanced mountains in Hakuba. Nice and steep with really good freeriding terrain.
I stayed at High Mount Hotel and I would highly recommend it. Really good value and the family who own it are very hospitable. It’s right at the base of Happo One.
Here are some photos I posted in another thread:
Empty slopes
Hakuba Valley
Untouched
Fresh lines
Trees
Storm after storm…
No roads
My happy shadow
The valley and avalanche barriers
My cousin, waist deep…
Onsen
High Mount Hotel
thanks for the replies!
Hakuba looks great, I’m pumped to go..
Re the amount of fresh pow at Hakuba compared to Niseko.. this is probably a strange comment, but I’m thinking less pow will be better for me anyway. I’m still pretty new on a snowboard and having only been to thredbo during the shoulder season (basically dirtboarding) i’m thinking i’ll struggle with the deep powder for a while anyway.
I’m 5’10 and about 70kg’s and currently on a burton uninc 156… am i gonna sink? or will this board be ok?
Most packages I can find are for 7 nights, with 5 days lift passes… should I bother trying to get another day of lifts? or will I be using the 2 days either side for travel, and/or recovery? just want to get the most out of it whilst i’m there i guess… I’ve been to Japan before (on a touristy holiday) so don’t really need to see anything.. but it will be my brother’s first time there so thought about maybe spending a day doing touristy stuff.. It’s probably too far to head out to Roppongi or Shibuya, etc for the day though i’m guessing…
If you score typical Japanese powder like I did during my visit, you might struggle on an Uninc 156. It’s a true twin and cambered, which is where the difficulty will lie. I’ve ridden my Uninc 154 on big powder days in Whistler (I weigh 65kg), but Japanese powder is a whole different ball game. I took my Burton Fish 156 (pow board) out on a big powder day on Happo and it’s the only time I’ve had to work to keep it afloat. It just goes to show how light the powder can be.
If you do decide to use the Uninc on a powder day, set your stance back two inches. That will give you more float. It can definitely work, but you’ll have to work harder.
Before you book, check out the exclusive deal for our members: https://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/2779/ - not trying to push it, but certainly worth comparing prices.
Any questions, let me know.
thanks for the replies!
Hakuba looks great, I’m pumped to go..Re the amount of fresh pow at Hakuba compared to Niseko.. this is probably a strange comment, but I’m thinking less pow will be better for me anyway. I’m still pretty new on a snowboard and having only been to thredbo during the shoulder season (basically dirtboarding) i’m thinking i’ll struggle with the deep powder for a while anyway.
I’m 5’10 and about 70kg’s and currently on a burton uninc 156… am i gonna sink? or will this board be ok?
Most packages I can find are for 7 nights, with 5 days lift passes… should I bother trying to get another day of lifts? or will I be using the 2 days either side for travel, and/or recovery? just want to get the most out of it whilst i’m there i guess… I’ve been to Japan before (on a touristy holiday) so don’t really need to see anything.. but it will be my brother’s first time there so thought about maybe spending a day doing touristy stuff.. It’s probably too far to head out to Roppongi or Shibuya, etc for the day though i’m guessing…
From Hakuba there’s a day trip tour to the monkey onsen which is quite popular. Get the 5 day lift passes and if you feel up for another day at the end, just buy a day pass at whichever resort you decide on. Happo One (pronounced oh-nay, not 1), Goryu/47 and Iwatake are my favourites. Iwatake is super fun for boarders (loads of natural hits), Happo is big, but closes down on windy days and gets quite mogully, goryu/47 is quite popular and have the best park (maybe, Happo’s is quite good too, as well as Iwatake’s). Tsugaike is good for beginners but the runs are not steep at all.
Hotel Hakuba has a great onsen btw
I have been to both Hakuba and Niseko. But for a 7 day trip would def recomend Hakuba.
I also stayed at High Mount as well.
As a newbie you may appreciate the recovery or a snow monkey trip in the middle.
I’ll be heading to Hakuba/Tokyo in January 12 for my first ever overseas trip. I very nearly booked in Niseko but not being a huge party animal I ended up liking to sound of the slightly more authentic Hakuba area. There also seemed to be more choices/deals available for Hakuba at my time of booking. You certainly haven’t missed the best deals Jetstar only just launched sales for the period of travel you are looking for.
You mentioned a daytrip to shibuyu and roppongi which wouldn’t really be feasible as they are in Tokyo which is ~5hrs from Hakuba. You would be best of doing what I am doing and have a few nights stopover in tokyo to do some touristy stuff.
If you book the week of Feb 10 at Hakuba, I’ll plan to meet up with ya and hit some gnarly Pow!
We are staying at the Lab - (only $300 each extra for a twin room for a week) - http://www.ski-resorts-japan.com/hakuba
Can’t wait!!!
not sure how to multi-quote on here? so many good replies!
Will probably be mid-late Feb now as this works better for my brother. We might do a night in Tokyo on the way back, and considering most of the Sydney flights don’t depart until 8pm+ then it would really be like a day & a half there. I’ve had a pretty good look at Japan last time I was there, right from the south to the north, but realistically we won’t have time to look everywhere.. so i’m thinking shinjuku for a night with some local trips (shibuya, akihabara, roppongi, etc…)
Re The Lab.. with the twin room do you get an ensuite?
kind of uncertain about running a cambered board there now… would like something like a skate banana but can’t really justify the cost as i don’t really need a board for pow considering most of the riding would be here in aus.. hmmmm
Busta, just putting it out there, but non camber boards aka rocker boards are awesome fun in Oz, or just about anywhere for that matter. They are definitely not limited to only excelling in pow. Hybrid boards are nice all rounders too. I love my hybrid board for riding pow.
Wooohoo, can’t wait…. 51 days to go!!
Someone, please take me with you!!!!! Pleeeeeeaaassseeee!!!!! 
ok… kinda going off track here but would this be any decent for powder?
Burton TWC Standard Rocker 2011
Burton TWC Standard Snowboard 2011: Cab double cork 180’s might not be in your bag of tricks, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use the added boost of the all NEW TWC Standard from Burton. The TWC Standard was developed to give any shredder the edge to ride like Shaun White. To help improve your skills, the New EZV rocker combines the latest in catch-free rocker performance with the effortless edge-control of a slightly tapered shape for more float and all-around fun regardless of terrain or weather condition. The TWC is the other White meat. The Burton TWC Standard Snowboard has an EZ V Rocker.
Features:
ROCKER: NEW EZ V
SHAPE: Directional [3-5MM Taper Depending on Size]
FLEX: Directional
CORE: Fly® Core with Negative Profile
FIBERGLASS: Biax™
BASE: Extruded
EDGES: Grip and Rip™ Tune
SIDEWALLS: Slantwall
EXTRAS: Includes a free LTR lesson & lift ticket package at select resorts.
Feel: 2
* Slight colour variations
it’s on sale at STM.. might book it in as a xmas pressy.
Also, I’ve only ever ridden a rental board (155).. my Uninc is a 156.. If i were to get the rocker board for more pow days, should I go something like a 158 for more float?
I’m 5’10 (just!) and 70kg’s…
I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s a real entry level snowboard with an extruded base. Look for something with a sintered base.
Read through this thread: https://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/2669/ (make sure you also read finney’s review).
There’s only one of these left (Shadow graphic). I can get it at 40% off for you through STM (includes an extra 10% discount for Boardworld members). Plus you will get your tax back at the airport, bringing it down to almost $400.
This is the type of board I’d be looking for. I’m taking one board to Japan next season and I’m almost certain this will be it.