saison-club

MOUNTAIN INFORMATION
Niseko is famous for it’s deep and fluffy powder snow. The resort starts from an altitude close to sea level and rises to 1200m, offering 1000m in elevation.

Niseko is made up of 57 runs, which consist of 38 lifts and gondolas, totaling over 47km in groomed slopes. There is a good mixture of beginner, intermediate and advanced runs, with skiers and snowboarders welcome everywhere.

The longest run is 5.6km and as well as the powder, the terrain offers first timer slopes, half-pipes, quarter popes, table tops, mogul fields, tree runs and lots of natural hits to ensure everyone’s tastes are catered for.

Lift facilities are great and operate without rest for over 12 hours a day – starting at 8:30am and closing at 9:00pm. Niseko also offers seven different on-mountain restaurants to eat or rest in.

Some of the lifts in Niseko have automatic, protective weather hoods as Niseko weather can be extremely cold. Skiers and boarders should be fully prepared with warm gloves and facemasks (these are available in the village and on the mountain. Prices vary from 1000 JPY to 2000 JPY).

VILLIAGE INFORMATION AND FACILITIES
Although Niseko is well known for its fresh powder snow, it is fast being famous for its vibrant village. The village of Hirafu is packed with great places to eat and drink.
Niseko has a large selection of restaurants of all types: Izakayas, Yakitori and sushi restaurants, rahmen shops and curry houses. Prices are about average by Japanese standards. Almost all restaurants have English menus and English speaking staff, but don’t be afraid to take your Japanese phrase book! Please note that although some places accept Visa or MasterCard, cash is the main form of payment.

Mount Youtei, at 1,898 meters, provides a spectacular backdrop to the Niseko area. It is an extinct volcano located southeast of the main ski area. Mount Youtei’s top half is draped in snow for about 8-9 months of the year; a truly breathtaking view when skiing or boarding the slops of the resort.

The 7000-hectare area around the summit has been designated a national park. As the snow melts in summer, the landscape comes alive with the colourful native alpine plants of Japan. This impressive landscape can be hiked in summer, requiring about 6 hours. It ranks ninth among the hundred most famous mountains in Japan.

Other facilities of interest:
- 30 meter indoor swimming pool, which is available for public use (600JPY). There are also single spas, steam rooms and saunas within the complex. Location: Niseko Alpen Hotel (open 12:00 – 9:00pm daily).
- Child minding services
- There is a shuttle bus that runs from 9:00am to 5:00pm offering free transfers from accommodation to the lifts and back. This shuttle service is only available for skiers/boarders and cannot be used for transport around the village (http://www.niseko.ne.jp/en/bus.html).
- Massage and physiotherapy services

USEFUL INFORMATION:
Niseko has two convenience stores. The SeicoMart is quite large and is open from 7:00am – 11:00pm. This stocks most groceries and alcohol and is the main place to get food and supplies. There are supermarkets in Kutchan accessible by free bus (6:30pm – 11:40pm Hirafu to Kutchan).

Be sure to bring lost of yen cash (budget $50 AUS per day per person) as most shops and restaurants don’t take credit cards.

While the is no ATM in the village, there is one at the post office in nearby Kutchan which accepts international cards, as well as some credit cards. Australian dollars can be changed into Japanese yen at the Hokkaido Tracks office (located beside the SeicoMart) or at the Niseko Powder Connection office (located inside the Goodsports Building).

It is extremely important that guests have health insurance cover in case of accidents. In the case of an accident, the guest will have to pay the hospital – not cheap in Japan. As long as the guest has insurance, your company will cover all hospital, translation and transfer fees.

NIGHT TIME
NIGHT SKIING
Hirafu is renowned for its night skiing. It is believed to be the largest lit area for night skiing or boarding in Japan and you will understand why when you go out at night.

The extent of illumination is outstanding, reaching well into the tree runs and out of bounds areas, providing a unique skiing or snowboarding experience. This is Niseko Hirafu’s best-kept secret. Perhaps there is a perception that it’s colder at night (although this is not necessarily the case), or that only a few runs are open (almost all except Hanazono are open) but very few tourists come out at night leaving the mountain empty and free lift queues.

The best advice we can give anyone who visits Hirafu for the first time is to take an afternoon siesta after a morning session and go out at 5:00pm for the night skiing until lifts close at 9:00pm.

NIGHT LIFE
Niseko Hirafu is a lively little resort town and nationalities from all over the world including Japanese flock to Niseko. There are many hotels full with people especially around New Year and early February which are the peak holiday periods. Fatty’s and Wild Bill’s bar are just examples of the many bars in Niseko. Although be warned there, is no such thing as cheap drinks in Niseko unless you are prepared to hit a private karaoke room for your party with friends (BYO).

GETTING HERE
We recommend using one of the bus or train services that runs between Niseko and New Chitose Airport. We can provide full information on these upon request. Below are website links where you can find timetables and information on the bus and train services listed.

BUS TIMETABLES
Donan and Chuo
http://www.snowjapan.com/e/travel/hokkaido-niseko.html

Good Sports/Big Runs Whiteliner
http://www.niseko-hirafu.com/nisekopowderconnection/information.schedule.php

Resort Liner
http://ixsmtravel.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=4

JR TRAIN TIMETABLES
http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/index.html

AIRLINES
New Chitose Airport Homepage:
http://www.new-chitose-airport.jp/language/english/index.html

The Saison Club are unable to arrange airfares, however if you are flying internationally, our advice is to choose and airline that offers the most seamless connection to Sapporo and avoids Tokyo transits, wherever possible. This is because Tokyo has two airports and requires a transfer from international to domestic to access the flight to Sapporo. If you need to transfer within Japan to access Sapporo, it is easier to fly via Osaka.

MOUNTAIN STATISTICS
Grand Hirafu
Opening Date: 25/11 – 5/5
Lift Operating Hours: 8:30am – 9:00pm
Number of Runs: 27
Beginner: 30%
Intermediate: 40%
Advanced: 30%
Number of Lifts: 14
Number of Gondolas: 1
Longest Run: 5600m
Average Slope: 28 degrees
Steepest Run: 40 degrees
Elevation: 940m
Snowboarding Allowed

Higashiyama
Opening Date: 25/11 – 5/5
Lift Operating Hours: 8:30am – 9:00pm
Number of Runs: 14
Beginner: 30%
Intermediate: 40%
Advanced: 30%
Number of Lifts: 5
Number of Gondolas: 2
Longest Run: 5600m
Average Slope: 20 degrees
Steepest Run: 32 degrees
Elevation: 890m
Snowboarding Allowed

Annapuri
Opening Date: 25/11 – 5/5
Lift Operating Hours: 8:30am – 9:00pm
Number of Runs: 13
Beginner: 40%
Intermediate: 30%
Advanced: 30%
Number of Lifts: 5
Gondolas: 1
Longest Run: 5000m
Average Slope: 20 degrees
Steepest Run: 34 degrees
Elevation: 850m
Snowboarding Allowed: OK

WEBSITES
http://www.grand-hirafu.jp/en/index.html
http://www.niseko.ne.jp/en/

TRAIL MAP
http://www.niseko.ne.jp/en/map.html

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