Niseko after March 11th

From Grand Hirafu’s opening day, our Holiday Niseko accommodation has been booked out with great people from all over the world this 2010/2011 season. January and February’s powder dumped through early March and the snow depth was all time! Stoke and hype was full power. Families and friendly groups of skiers and snowboarder’s were having a blast on their holidays- telling us that the snow has been some of the best they had ever skied or slashed. That’s normal for Niseko.

Then on March 11th things became not so normal with the earthquake outside the east coast of Sendai and the devastating tsunamis that followed leaving Fukushima, Sendai and other east coast cities ruined and waiting for rescue. Shaking the houses in Niseko and rocking the world, our eyes and ears have been tuned in to Japanese news every day since March 11th. With so many lives lost, families broken, homes and land destroyed, food shortages, nuclear reactors burning, radiation scares it’s been awkward and hard to be up here trying to enjoy skiing and snowboarding when the country is in pain.

After the house was shaking we couldn't believe what we saw on tv

The strong-willed Japanese people have rallied around each other trying to fix and rebuild rather than blame and compare. Their strength is inspirational. Locals in Niseko have helped out as much as possible by throwing many fund raising events in town and on the mountain sending relief-fund donations to Red Cross Japan and the Tohoku earthquake fund. The people of Kutchan and Niseko town have had donation and drop off centers for clothing and other necessities since the disaster struck. Some brave people have re-routed their lives to drive down, look for lost friends and roll up their sleeves to help out the poor victims that have been in our thoughts and prayers.

Gyu bar in Niseko hosted a party and collected donations from over 120 people. Moiwa resort downhill race donated as well.

Some tourists stayed on and rode out their vacations but many foreigners cancelled their holidays and Niseko has been very very quiet as of March 11th. We have been safely tucked away in Niseko and Hokkaido has for the most part been spared from this disaster. Our hearts go out to the coastal cities of Honshu and the people in pain. Here is a few photos of what it’s been like up on the mountain since mid March. Enjoy the snow quietly

Holiday Niseko

Niseko Ace Quad with no lines in March 2011

Rome rider ripping Hirafu's empty park under the empty charilifts

Doing laps in a quiet Hirafu park and Hanazono's trees

Quietly enjoying some lips in Hirafu's park and powder in Roy's run this past March

Drop in the Annupuri gully

Cornicing the gully and tracking up our tracks

Road to Annupuri and a method by a method master

Surf the snow Annupuri style

Not many people for mid-day gate 5 in Hirafu

Running laps on Roy's run

Niseko Powder in March

Niseko has had a snowy start to this “spring-season” of March and it feels more like early February with the temps and snowfall. With over 50cm of dry powder the first few days of the month, it’s been days of knee-deep early mornings and powder night sessions with no high season crowds. Day or night, ski or snowboard, it’s been sweet at all areas across Niseko from Hanazono to Annupuri. The weather is looking to stay snowy this week (as far as the forecast can predict) so all is good.

Face shot to the camera

Hokkaido winter has more snow to pile-up our already packed-out 4+meter snowbase! It’s the perfect time to be here or hook a deal and book last minute accommodation.

Powder from Annupuri to the sea of Japan

Looking back to last March 2010, Niseko boasted 3+meters of new snow and some March snow totals in the past have been even deeper.

Hokkaido's magic trees and snow

It looks promising for good snow for the locals and our Holiday Niseko guests out enjoying the chill part of the season. We hope the powder keeps dumping through the end of March… then fades us into sunny corn snow cruiser runs with great park days until the lift’s shut down in May.

Holiday Niseko

Antti Autti in Niseko

Antti Autti and crew have been up in Niseko on holiday this past week ripping the powder and filming for the “Antiout” movie. Antti snowboards here every year with his Finnish crew and hits up the Sapporo big air in the end of February. Enjoy this clip of this past week! Holiday Niseko

¨Antiout Movie¨ – Hokkaido powder heaven from Anttisworld on Vimeo.

¨Antiout Movie¨- Niseko Powder Peek from Anttisworld on Vimeo.

AntiOut

Niseko snow removal

With all the powder we have had fun skiing and snowboarding in, there also comes a lot of work to deal with it. The Niseko Grand Hirafu city snow removal crew has been working 24/7 to keep up with the snow this season. Our Holiday Niseko team has been putting in a ton of shoveling as well. With dangerous roof slides constantly filling in our walk-ways, we are always on alert and looking up as we clear snow. There were even days last week when we had to mark the car so the plow would not hit it! Niseko city did a great job in cleaning up the street in front of our Holiday Niseko office, Asuka, Yukon and the Seshu. Now our guests have a little more space to walk about, cars can pass by each other again and we are ready for more snow. Sweet!

clearing up our street in front of the Yukon, Asuka and the Seshu

Hiromi's car is under that snow- marked with a pole

Holiday Niseko Seshu

Niseko Snow Sun and Powder Fun

Mt. Yotei gets some sun after a 2 meter snow storm

The storm settled and the sun is showing us what the huge snowfall has done to our Hokkaido landscape. Mt. Yotei is looking loaded with snow as is the rest of the Niseko area. After riding days of tree lines through the storm, it’s so good to see where we are snowboarding again. The backcountry access gates in Hanazono, Hirafu, Higashiyama and Annupuri opened up and skiing and snowboarding here is all time! We are enjoying the sun because the forecast is more snow tonight and through next week. Holiday Niseko

Holiday Niseko Accommodation Snowed-in!

Our Holiday Niseko office is snowed in as well as all of our accommodation in Grand Hirafu! But with amazing effort of snow removal, guests are able to get out to ski and snowboard the deep powder with ease this Chinese New Year. The last days of this month have shown everyone what Hokkaido Japan can do and January 2011′s snow depths have buried last season’s mark! Base depths around the Niseko are deeper than normal for this time of year and the village is hyped.

2 meter dump at the Holiday Niseko office

It’s February 1st and the current snow depths are 300cm at the top station of Annupuri, 400cm up top Niseko Village and 450cm on top of Grand Hirafu and Hanazono! The upper lifts have been closed for days due to no-visibility and high avalanche danger from the three day super storm. The steeps and trees in the lower to mid-mountain have kept everyone happy with this 2 meters of fresh powder! hint… (Niseko Gondola to Superstition and Mori-No chair to Misoshiru)

Niseko Village goods!

It will be powder heaven when the weather chills and Niseko United starts running the top lifts and opening the gates! Holiday Niseko

Chinese New Year! 农历新年

It’s a big week for us at Holiday Niseko and everybody else up here in Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Annupuri in celebration of the deep powder and the events surrounding the Chinese New Year! Events like skiing and snowboarding the 50cm of new snow that blessed us yesterday and enjoying your surroundings. Getting out with friends or family and reflecting on what you believe in the most. Niseko’s 2011 week long forecast for the celebration of Chinese New Year is snowy and these are the days to remember… We are keeping these days in our heads, because trying to snap a photo is hard to do when flying through snowy life.

Ace Quad 2 - powder laps.

3 meters deep and more to come!

Niseko’s snow depth has hit the 3 meter mark and the forecast is powder-gold for more snow this week! The current snow conditions for everyone out snowboarding, skiing and staying with us at Holiday Niseko are amazing! +Plus great snow-base now for our future guests! The backcountry access gates 1 (L-ji), 4 (Fujiwara) and 6 (Moiwa) have opened and the Niseko Avalanche report suggests using great caution when venturing out there. It’s shaping up to be another all time snow season!

Niseko Ace Quad & Ace Pair lifts are running!

Niseko’s open! With Niseko Ace Quad and Pair lifts open for the second day and one course to shred -skiers and snowboarders are stoked! It’s time to unleash that pent up waiting for snow/weather frustration!

With a slow start putting us a little behind on the snow for the season and a bummer forcast for friday rain- All will turn into a happy saturday with snow and colder temps through the weekend and following week. Do your snow dance!!

Check out our Christmas Deals on accommodation start planning your powder-fest in Niseko! The Hokkaido snow is coming! Holiday Niseko

avi-stoppers

TWS Hokkaido cover shot

Here is the rad Transworld Snowboarding December 2010 cover shot of Tim Humphreys pointing it down the avalanche barriers that protect our local hwys.
Last winter the Flow snowboard team ripped the Niseko resort and toured around Hokkaido capturing this shot on the amazing terrain just outside our Niseko doors.