Niseko

Shikaku Penthouse

I've had the pleasure of staying in this Penthouse twice now, and each year it blows me away.  These are very comfortable apartments and with great views of the ski slopes and mt Yotei. 

Being so close to the restaurants and only a short walk to the lifts is brilliant.

I highly recommend it.

Niseko - Powder Nirvana

Getting there was the hardest part - but when it's the middle of winter and the snowfalls are massive, what airport won't slow down? Fortunately, a call to the Travelplan team and accommodation and transfers were rearranged as smoothly as those icy tarmacs.

Hiring gear there was a great move. Expert advice from the local (Aussie) team in Niseko got our ski odyssey off on the right track - ''09 K2 Explorers lived up to the reviews. We could choose from 3 different ski areas with the all-terrain pass, but 9 days at this mountain resort was hardly enough to experience all its wonders.

Night skiing merges sweetly into night-life - Niseko village offers great food, western and Japanese, and all the apres-ski options you'd expect in an international resort - without the European price tag. And the Japanese have turned welcome into an art form.

But for us, fresh, deep powder that just keeps on coming day after day .... and first tracks all morning are why they call it the powder capital of the world.

Arigatoh Travelplan - Niseko, we''ll be back.   

Access to top class powder a day from down under.

If you want quick access to world class powder from "Down Under" then have a go at Niseko.

I've skied Colorado in the past where the epic plane flight across the Pacific followed by yet another lengthy flight from LA to Denver leaves you wondering what day it is. By the time you start skiing up around 10 000 to 11 000 feet above sea level, you feel as dead as a flat car battery in the middle of a foggy winter''s morning !!

Once you're at Niseko, you'll be doing all your skiing at 1000 to 4000 feet above sea level. This will make a huge difference when you start blazing those big feathery rooster tails amongst that endless powder. Yes, your breath won't be panting like Phar Lap after a Melbourne Cup!! Does lower elevations mean the powder won't be light and dry? Think again!! Will you find it hard to see the terrain when it's bucketing down snow from overcast skies? Ski near the trees, or even ski amongst them, they won't bite!!

Maybe I shouldn't be saying this because more Aussies will read this and go there!! Oh, and then there's the Japanese hospitaility and customer service; it welcomes you with the delicate trimmings of an Ikebana flower display and is delivered at the speed and efficiency of the Japanese Metro system.

Yeah, I'll be going back again!!