Ski/Board Rentals Central Snow Sports We always recommend Central Snow Sports. Great quality gear, and they will come and pick you up at your accommodation, take you to get outfitted and then deliver you back again once you’re set up. Booking in advance isn’t absolutely essential (things can be sorted out here on the ground as well) but may be advisable if you’re visiting during peak season or have people with unusually large feet etc. https://hakuba.centralsnowsports.com.au/ Rhythm Hakuba Top quality ski and board rentals as well as tune-ups, boot fitting,  waxing and a good selection of retail wear.  Located in the Wadano Visitors Centre. https://www.rhythmjapan.com/rhythm-hakuba/  

The ski & snowboard season in Hakuba is a long one, beginning as soon as there`s adequate snow coverage, typically towards the end of November, & continuing right through the Japanese “Golden Week” holiday the first week of May. In such a long season, what to expect in terms of snow quality, crowds and atmosphere in the valley can vary quite a bit. With this in mind, i`ve broken the season down loosely into four sections in order to paint a bit of a picture of what you can expect; early season, peak season, shoulder season, & late season. EARLY SEASON (LATE NOVEMBER TILL ROUGHLY DEC 19TH) Decent snow high up with minimal crowds and super discounts on lift tickets & accommodation make early December a nice time for a visit to Hakuba. And in the unlikely event that there`s no skiing due to lack of snow, a full refund is offered for bookings up to Dec 20th. There`s no such thing as a guarantee in the world of ski conditions but typically by the 1st of December there`s enough snow that the tops of the big resorts are open. And by the middle of the month, there`s likely to have been a few big powder sessions. For those looking to get a real early start, it is possible to ride powder as early as mid-November, but it`s also possible to be shut out with no snow at all. In this light, diehards looking to come in November best follow the current conditions and forecast to help with a last minute decision. I should also note that some services in the valley are a little haphazard during this period. Resort shuttle buses and some restaurants for example, don`t get running until Dec 20th.  But have no fear, as we offer our guests complimentary […]

WHEN TO COME TO HAKUBA The season in Hakuba lasts from the beginning of December till the second week of May although four years ago we were riding bottomless powder for the whole of November. There are usually consistent powder conditions from mid December to mid March. On average it dumps 4 days out of every seven during this time meaning you rarely have to worry about icy runs and there’s always plenty of bottomless powder. WHY IT SNOWS SO MUCH The fantastic powder in Hakuba is a result of the great Siberian snow machine, the world’s largest example of lake-effect snow. Entrenched high pressure over Siberia and low pressure over the western pacific leads to a constant flow of super-cooled air which flows down over Japan. As the incredibly cold and dry air flows over the Japan Sea it picks up moisture until it becomes super-saturated. This air hits the mountain ranges of the Northern Alps and Hakuba is uplifted and unloads meters and meters of fresh light powder. These entrenched weather patterns last for weeks on end meaning constant falls. Occasional blobs of high pressure leave the Siberian high and pass over Japan giving a respite from the powder and bluebird days. The temperature at the top of the mountains usually hovers between -7 and -14 and the bottom between -7 and -2. This small range compared to high-altitude resorts preserves the powder for longer especially on north facing slopes. Season Snowfall at the Cortina and Tsugaike end of the valley which is closer to the Japan Sea averages 12-14m. Hakuba itself averages 10-12m. Check out other Hakuba snow forecasts: Snow-Forecast.com Hakuba Snow Japan Hakuba Now

HAPPO ONE Lifts 33 Runs 30% Beginner 50% Intermediate 20% Expert Longest run 8km Steepest run 38 Elevation base 760m Top 1831m Night skiing Yes Happo Website From the lodge a 5-minute walk or a 1-minute free shuttle bus. Beginners Beginners can start in either the Sakka area to the right of the photo, the Shirakaba area in the middle or the Nakiyama area to the@left. The Sakka area is close to the lodge and offers runs through stands of cedar with a roped off nursery area for kids to practice safely under supervision. The Shirakaba and Nakiyama areas also offer a variety of runs with cafes surrounding the base to enjoy a coffee or a beer. Once beginners have cut their teeth in these areas they can progress higher up the mountain to the intermediate areas above the kokusai lift and return at the end of the day down the variety of long snaking cat-track trails. Intermediates Intermediates are spoiled for choice with plenty of wide cruisers that seem to go on and one. Particular picks are Skyline and the runs down from the Riesen quad lift. Experts There are great opportunities for experts at Happo. First of all after the frequent dumps of powder only the middle part of the runs on the lower half of the mountain are groomed and almost the entire upper mountain are ungroomed leaving plenty of easily accessible powder to play in. The mountain adopts a ski at your own risk policy so the off-piste areas in the trees are also great after a dump. Expert skiers can see how their times compare to the greats by hitting the Olympic downhill and Super G course, both thigh burners that start near the top and end over 1km below. Mogul skiers can test their mettle in the Kurobishi area at the […]

The Hakuba Valley has taken a big step forward with its new Hakuba Lift Ticket system. You can now purchase an All-Valley Discount lift Ticket that joins together all 11 of Hakuba Valley`s ski resorts….creating Japan’s biggest & best snow resort. The new automated Hakuba Lift ticket & gate system means you only need one ticket for your entire stay adding a lot of convenience & value to your Hakuba experience. Of course the ticket includes Hakuba Happo-One, the nearest mountain to us, as well Hakuba Goryu, Hakuba47, Hakuba Iwatake, Tsugaike Kogen, Hakuba Norikura Onsen, Cortina and others… all perennial favorites! They can be used at multiple resorts on the same day & also mean you never have to line up to purchase tickets at the resorts. These can be arranged through us & it`s a good idea to order in advance as they are more difficult to get once here.…rates are as follows, with a ‘child’ being considered as age 6 to 12. 13 and older are classed as adults and under 6 are free. 1 Day (Adult / Child) – 6200 / 3500 yen (Valid for 1 day) 2 Day (Adult / Child) – 10800 / 6200 yen (Valid for 2 out of 3 days) 3 Day (Adult / Child) – 16200 / 9300 yen (Valid for 3 out of 5 days) 4 Day (Adult / Child) – 21500 / 12300 yen (Valid for 4 out of 7 days) 5 Day (Adult / Child) – 26900 / 15400 yen (Valid for 5 out of 9 days) 6 Day (Adult / Child) – 32300 / 18500 yen (Valid for 6 out of 10 days) 7 Day (Adult / Child) – 37700 / 21500 yen (Valid for 7 out of 11 days) All-Valley Season Pass (Adult / Child) – 130,000 / 70,000 yen

RENTALS We recommend Central snow sports for all your ski rental needs. They have great gear at competitive prices and fantastic service. They will pick you up at your accommodation, bring you down to the shop, fit you out and then bring you back to the lodge or you can go straight out skiing and they’ll bring back your shoes to your accommodation. You can book in gear on arrival or to avoid disappointment they have an online booking system. BUYING GEAR IN JAPAN For those looking to buy gear in Japan, there are some surprisingly good deals to be found, especially as the season progresses. In fact, by late January prices have fallen significantly and by March are approaching half-price. For those of you from the Southern-hemisphere, this means you can buy stuff that hasn’t even been released in Australia or N.Z. yet at big discounts!! There are a few good shops here in Hakuba and if your itinerary takes you through Tokyo, a visit to Ochanomizu is a must. A short walk from Ochanomizu station (on the Sobu line) is a kilometer long street lined with nothing but ski and snowboard shops often with great deals……a skier or snowboarder’s bargain wonderland! LESSONS & GUIDING SERVICES There are a handful of different places offering lessons and guiding services in Hakuba. For our guests skiing at Happo we recommend Evergreen Outdoor Center. They’re about a 4 minute walk from us (in the Mominoki Hotel complex) and have quality services in English and Japanese and a whole range of stuff for kids! We can help you organize your lessons once at the lodge, however, Evergreen is very popular and we strongly advise booking in advance. Evergreen also offers an excellent Backcountry guiding service. This is a great way to get in some pristine powder and immerse yourselves in the full beauty […]

The Backcountry in Hakuba is endless and is probably the reason why I ended falling in love with Hakuba. From cruisy long faces peppered with perfectly spaced glades of birch to big open alpine bowls. Narrow steep chutes with over a km of vertical to endless rolling natural fun parks with cornice drops, cliffs, natural half-pipes, rollers and hits galore. Alaskan style faces with steep spines to long cruisy valleys with frozen waterfalls. All of it buried in deep powder and lightly populated by Kamoshika or Japanese Serow (medium sized animals that resemble the cross between an antelope a deer and a pig – seriously!!). The best thing about all of this backcountry is that most of it lies directly off the lift or only a short hike away. The snow pack is also conducive to relatively safe backcountry being deep and having a low temperature gradient through the snow pack. There is depth hoar to worry about but as it rarely gets extremely cold (below -20) it’s nowhere near as much of a worry as in continental ski areas such as the European Alps or Colorado or Alberta. Wind is also a factor with windslab generally in crossloaded ridges and south east faces in the alpine. Generally though the regime is one of rapid stabilising after a storm but you need to know what to look out for because the generally good conditions are punctuated occasionally be very dangerous spells that can catch the uneducated out. Of course if you want to head into the backcountry you must always have at least a beacon, a shovel and a probe and also ride with friends who have these essential items and are experienced too. We can point you in the right direction as we have extensive experience riding backcountry in […]

Beginners are well catered for in Hakuba. The Sakka area of Happo is a short walk from the lodge and provides a perfect place to learn. There is also a roped off kiddies fun area where kids can safely toboggan or ride inner tubes. All the mountains in Hakuba have beginner areas. Tsugaike has a huge beginner’s area of long wide runs. Iwatake is mostly a beginners and intermediate mountain, Happo Sakka is 4 minutes walk from the Lodge, Goryu has a beautiful beginners run at the top of the mountain with stunning 360degree panoramic views. Aokiko has beautiful beginners runs leading down through forest to a lake and finally Hakuba highland and Minekata are almost exclusively beginners resorts and as they lie across the valley from the main peaks have incredible views. Intermediates have 12 mountains to choose from with every kind of run imaginable from long wide rolling reds with over a kilometer of vertical that start in the high alpine to steep mogul fields to intimate winding runs through the forest. A lot of the resorts only groom half the run after the frequent dumps of snow leaving powder at the sides to practice your snorkeling technique!