2009.04.29

FREESTYLE

Hakuba has some great parks. The best is right next to us at Happo, but there are also great parks at Hakuba 47, Tsugaike and Yanaba.

Happo High Cascade Park

High cascade website

This is a great park located on the Kita-One section of the mountain above Sakka. With it’s own dedicated lift and High cascade cafe, the atmosphere is great and the views are the best on Happo. The park prides itself on it’s safety record. The features on offer include a Ufo box, two twelve metre kickers, two 15 metre kickers, a few 6 metre kickers and a hip, There are also a selection of boxes and rails, including batteship rail and a variety of straight rails.

Hakuba 47 Park

Hakuba 47 park website

The 47 pipe is quite nice and gets better every year but the range of jumps is superb including usually a 12m kicker, a couple of 8m kickers, a spine, some tabletops, and an assortment of smaller jumps for learners. And for the jibbers, you’re well catered to with a variety of rails and boxes (straight, kinked, rainbow, s-shaped, you name it!).

Tsugaike park

Tsugaike park website

This is the highest park in Hakuba at over 1600m. This ensures you can ride it until Golden week in May. Theres 12m, 7m, 6m and 5m kickers; rainbow box, 6m narrow box, 6m staright rail, front-sidebank, backside bank and a knoll. The views of the northern alps are stunning from up here!

Yanaba

Yanaba park website

Yanaba is down at the south end of the Hakuba valley overlooking Aokiko lake and the northern Alps. The whole ski resort is one big park and they have the widest selection of jumps, hits and rails in the valley including

Two 8m kickers,front side hip, back side hip, big spine, small spine, loads of boxes and loads of rails plus two halfpipes.

One of the best things about it – 1000yen for a day pass! the nighter session is also only 1000yen and its a great evening out if oyu’re not sated by a days skiing!