Hotel De Laile, Hakuba

Indifferent skiing in japan

Skied 3 areas, Happo 1, Hakuba 47 & Ioweteka.  . good snow depth ,limited new snow. Resorts had a mixture of old & new lifts but overall too many old ,slow 2 seaters. After skiing mainly Colorado over 25 years, with our favourites being Snowmass & Vail, can''t recommend these areas.  

Second week was at Shiga Kogen. Better accommodation & lifts. However on day 2 had a slow speed unexplained fall on right side & fractured femur, First major injury i n 62 years  of skiing. Excellent hospital care. Praying I will be skiing next year!  

A good time at Hakuba

The variety of terrain is excellent - although ski partol can be strict on off piste - go with a guide or back country tour. We had fresh snow 3 out of 6 days. A little heavy/wet on 1 day but still fun. Snow is coastal (like Whistler) so heavier than Hokkaido. Happo One and Hakuba 47/Goryu the best/biggest resorts, but try Iwatake (we had fun there on a powder day - less crowds more fresh tracks especially on the backside) etc.

Resort shuttle buses can be very crowded and probably the worst aspect of trip. Lift lines pretty much non-existent except on weekends. We stayed at Hotel De Laile - service was outstanding (the receptionist came to work at 5.30am just to say goodbye to us), hotel small so quiet (good), free onsen for guests, brekky OK, great view from our window, room OK size for Japan. The hotel is in the Wadano area - nice location in the forest (we saw Japanese giant flying squirrels!), easy to walk to various restuarants and the visitor/adventure centre, walk to Happo one lifts (5 mins) and shuttle buses (2 mins).

Great mix of snow and Japanese cultural experience (more culture than Niseko or Rusutsu).

Will go again.