Japan 23/24 Season

[climberevan]

I agree with the foreigner... Fuck influencers and the guided mobs making Hokkaido crowded. I'm glad I spent big chunks of 2 winters there before it blew up.

[subtle plague]

I agree with the foreigner... Fuck influencers and the guided mobs making Hokkaido crowded. I'm glad I spent big chunks of 2 winters there before it blew up.

That is a rather weird statement. It translates to: "I'm part of the problem, but I'm cool".

So I'm a "local" in some places in the northern alps like Engelberg and still don't mind Swedes and team USA showing up, because I'll still know where to ski what and have fun. Granted it's a few hours shorter than 20 years ago but that's part of the game. And I am a fucking snow snob who "hates" everyone skiing in "my areas"

[2Pole]

Sweet...

[m2711c]

get off my fuckin’ lawn!

[climberevan]

That is a rather weird statement. It translates to: "I'm part of the problem, but I'm cool".

I disagree. I wasn't complaining about independent travellers who rent sketchy wagons and live in them for 5 weeks while skiing alone at random spots they found by looking at topo maps. I was complaining about "influencers" and guided groups....

[summit]

At Niseko. These winds are tough.

[alect47]

I'm headed to Japan tomorrow until next weekend on the off chance that anyone is around!

[boltonoutlaw]

First flakes of new storm are falling at Kutchan

[gramboh]

Gramboh - if you decide to go with Whitecap for your trip feel free to reach out before booking flights/hotels etc - can give you some beneficial beta if you want

We ended up deciding on Hokkaido for 2025 and will do Hakuba next time (probably be 5 years at this rate haha), appreciate the insights though. Similar itinerary to you, gone for 12 days with 8 days of skiing and 4 travel days with a bit of time in Tokyo (have been before so just one night). Looking forward to it already, the stoke for pow is sky high after the storm that just hit Whistler.

[bennymac]

Awesome. You can’t lose - you just win in a different way. Enjoy that pile of snow you just got - it’s well deserved for the patience W/B and Baker skiers have had to have this winter.

[boltonoutlaw]

PSA: https://japantoday.com/category/national/2-dead-in-separate-avalanches-in-japan's-hokkaido

[gaijin]

*****

[CascadeCrudSkier]

Just wrapped up an 11 day trip to Hokkaido and then scored big last Saturday in Hakuba.


This upcoming weekend looks even deeper, the March pow has been a pleasant surprise after the warm storms we've had all winter.

In sadder news, lots of accidents in the BC from this past storm cycle. I skied w/ Stu at Myoko Suginohara for a couple laps 2 years ago during the COVID shutdown; there weren't many people venturing into the side country on a deep day and we shared some good turns as he described how he'd bought some $15K abandoned home in Myoko and was planning to fix it up. We never crossed paths again.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-a...ount-mitahara/

Another slide occurred just north of Hakuba on Saturday; 2 helicopters were circling as clouds rolled in but it sounds like they were able to locate and evacuate everyone w/ no fatalities.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...ano-avalanche/

[boltonoutlaw]

Monday: Niseko Moiwa

Tuesday: Rusutsu

Wednesday: Iwanai

[gramboh]

For those that have used Yamato for ski transport, do you know the minimum number of days to ship skis from Tokyo to Hokkaido? The Yamato website is showing 3 days, if I enter a Friday it shows Monday delivery. We land at NRT 4:25pm on a Friday, and are flying up to CTS from HND the next day on Saturday and taking a train to Otaru for our first night. Would assume Friday afternoon to Saturday night is way too short a timeline and we will be lugging gear NRT > hotel > HND.

[powfiend]

For those that have used Yamato for ski transport, do you know the minimum number of days to ship skis from Tokyo to Hokkaido? The Yamato website is showing 3 days, if I enter a Friday it shows Monday delivery. We land at NRT 4:25pm on a Friday, and are flying up to CTS from HND the next day on Saturday and taking a train to Otaru for our first night. Would assume Friday afternoon to Saturday night is way too short a timeline and we will be lugging gear NRT > hotel > HND.

Yea Friday to Saturday is less than 3 days. You wouldn’t even be able to get your gear to Hakuba in that short of time from Tokyo. You could always bring your boots and ship the rest. Might be cheaper to rent skis than pay for airline baggage. Definitely less of a headache than lugging skis through Tokyo 2x. Other option would be black cat your skis from Narita to Haneda and fly with it the next day

[Pinned]

It could be a bit of extra train time, but you could go from NRT straight to HND and stay in a hotel at HND. Avoid dealing with skis through Tokyo twice - and it's easy enough to get to Tokyo from HND for evening activities.

[gramboh]

It could be a bit of extra train time, but you could go from NRT straight to HND and stay in a hotel at HND. Avoid dealing with skis through Tokyo twice - and it's easy enough to get to Tokyo from HND for evening activities.

Thanks guys. This might be the call. My buddy was looking at a hotel on a train line that leaves NRT and also connects to HND so we were gonna go check in/drop gear then have dinner/drinks, then next day one train from hotel to HND. Gotta do a bit more research on that as I haven't been in Tokyo since 2016.

[boltonoutlaw]

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/f6...z-itAzIM0nEXaM

https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/soci...240311-173904/

Edit: Adding this link for confirmation of victim identity. RIP https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/japan-...l0j6APazIDC16s

[Ezo_Fuji]

For those that have used Yamato for ski transport, do you know the minimum number of days to ship skis from Tokyo to Hokkaido? The Yamato website is showing 3 days, if I enter a Friday it shows Monday delivery. We land at NRT 4:25pm on a Friday, and are flying up to CTS from HND the next day on Saturday and taking a train to Otaru for our first night. Would assume Friday afternoon to Saturday night is way too short a timeline and we will be lugging gear NRT > hotel > HND.

I've done it twice in Jan 2023 and 2024. Received my gear within 2 days on both occasions. No snow or bad weather on either occasion though which can affect transport.

[gaijin]

*Edit..

Nevermind. I posted about the snow layers weeks ago. Our snowpack is fucked. Even when a certified avi-dork chimes in, he gets heckled.

Just go home. Our snow is killing people this year.

Stop pretending like you need to tour Japan's wild snow this year.

Go to Bali.

[boltonoutlaw]

maybe i can slip this past the gatekeepers who decide who is allowed in the backcountry, and who can guide in japan, or who is allowed to post in this thread just some non-influential meadow-skipping last week at iwanai enjoy or block me i don't care it is uploaded in hd check your settings it loads sd dunno why

[muted reborn]

I can't keep track of all the avie articles posted here and NOT posted here - but to me there seems to be a crazy amount of deaths in the past weeks, mostly by guided groups. One article says in one accident, they are looking to see if it's professional negligence. I hope this cycle is extremely unprecedented over there, it's depressing to hear about so many accidents.

[gaijin]

Nuking. Warm. Wet. Heavy. Upside down.

Forming a blanket that folds itself on my car’s windshield.

On top of colder snow. On top of an ice layer.

She seems nice.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[CascadeCrudSkier]

This has been far and away the best March I've seen over my time in Japan (season 6 now) and it just keeps delivering. I'm running out of days I can skip out on work and family obligations but if this forecast holds I may just have to see how much I can get away with.

It was frustrating to miss out on the usual storms this February but it's so nice that they're showing up now; last weekend I was still skiing thigh deep untracked pow inbounds at 2pm. Most of the tourists have left but the snow has been fantastic.