Hakuba

Sushi and Skiing the White Horse

Hakuba, or ''White Horse'' in Japanese, is the epitome of Japanese skiing.

Seven powdery ski resorts line the Hakuba Valley, with the monster Happo One rearing above the rest. Long runs, mogal bowls, excellent freestyle parks and spectacular views typify this ski area, making Hakuba Nagano the obvious choice for the 1998 winter olympics.

Not only is the piste experience world class, fine Japanese cuisine and hot springs await after a big day on the hill. With a charming rural train connecting each of the resorts, fresh tracks are almost guaranteed at the White Horse.

Fabulous Japan

Having skied in the North island of Japan at Furano and Rusutsu, too extremely different types of Japanese ski resorts, we were looking for a balance between a Japanese cultural experience and great skiing, restaurants and easy communication and we found it Hakuba. There is a fabulous variety of runs with three different mountains on the one ski ticket. We found great ungroomed powder runs, great terrain parks for the teenagers and plenty of variety to suit skiers of all levels.The hot springs at the hotel were an evening ritual, great for soothing the tired limbs and exchanging stories and restaurant reviews. There were plenty of restaurant and bars within easy walking distance and the temperatures were significantly warmer than we experienced in north. The hotel staff (at the Mominoki Hotel) were extremely helpful in booking restraints and trips to the snow monkeys and the next door ski hire shop had everything we needed and great backcountry trips. We took teenagers do didn''t need the ski school but it was almost directly over the road from the hotel and there was a bus each morning from outside the ski shop. Hakuba has a great mix of Japanese and western restaurants and fabulous sushi bars. Visit before it gets taken over by Australians.

Hakuba - a mix of alpine splendour, Japanese powder and Asian charm

I would love to sing the praises of this slightly less frequented ski area in Japan. After spending a marvellous week in Niseko the previous year (North island), we decided to try another well known, somewhat less travelled (at least by Australians!) area, near Nagano. Access is not difficult, even for a non-Japanese speaker. You can even take the bullet train to Nagano, once you''ve landed in Tokyo. The last stage up to Hakuba is by bus and takes in some awesome, breath-taking scenery. We found the people very authentic with only minimal English and full of the Japanese grace. THe Hakuba area takes in several resorts all on the one ticket and access is by bus to any of them and only 20-30 mins. The quality of the snow is almost as good as the north island. The scenery is twice as good and the sense of mystique that comes from an exotic location wonderful. There were some cute restaurants and onsens (public spas) for apres skiing, though it was still a sleepy village by comparison with Niseko. Still, the locals are lovely people and went out of their way to help, even in broken English. The food was exotic and affordable, also the alcohol. I loved the skiing and it snowed almost every second day, with one day providing almost knee-deep powder. It was a trip I hope to repeat in the not too distant future and I would recommend it to anyone with a love of skiing, travelling and a thirst for adventure.