Hakuba, Japan - Snowboarding the Japanese Alps

Our endless summer officially came to an end on February 26th when we boarded a bus in Tokyo for a four night ski trip in Hakuba. Arguably we've been in near arctic conditions since we landed in Hanoi, but at least now we can use the sub zero temperatures to our advantage. Hakuba is a ski resort town about five hours west of Tokyo and hosted the alpine events of the 1998 Nagano Olympics.

As I write this on our way back to Tokyo, I can say without hesitation that this little side excursion was worth every penny. Snow is in our blood and we couldn't go without it for a year.

It took some effort to put all the pieces together to make our trip to the mountains a success and Nicole definitely crushed it. We took a supremely comfortable highway bus that far exceeded our expectations to a quaint boutique lodge that even further exceeded our expectations. We stayed at the Big Bear Cortina Lodge tucked far up the Hakuba Valley at the base of the Cortina Ski Resort. The live-in staff of four itinerant British and Aussie workers really made our time at the lodge memorable. They were so friendly and attended to our every need.

The cheapest and best option was to take the Highway Bus. The drive was really lovely as we went from lowland suburban sprawl, to periodic rural towns and cities, to snow capped mountains. 

We had two pit stops on the way up. We didn't mention in the previous blog, but the Japanese LOVE their vending machines. They are everywhere. Honestly you can't walk 100ft without passing a couple. 

We arrived at the Lodge to a glorious sunset.

It's nothing fancy, but fit us to a tee.

What a pleasant surprise... An old friend happened to have stayed in this lodge a couple days before we arrived (quite by coincidence), and he pre-paid for drinks for the whole family. Hot chocolates for the kids, adult beverages for us.

The Japanese have a funny thing about skiing off piste (aka not on the ski runs). They don't allow it. Considering I spend the majority of my time dancing through the trees on my board, this confining rule forced us to go to the one resort in Hakuba that isn't so restrictive - Cortina.

Our first day at Cortina was awesome. We had blue skies, no wind, and no crowds. Everyone picked up right where they left off, and strangely seemed to actually be better than before. Bryce conquered all the intermediate runs, Zane lasted all day and is working on his jumping skills, and Autumn is carving with grace and speed. Nicole got to cruise with her tunes, and I got to wander a bit off the trails. It is so great to be able to ride up the lift together and find our own way down and meet at the bottom.

The lodge at the base of Cortina is quite impressive. It's not terribly Japanese-y, but is definitely eye catching.

It really was cool to see Bryce start at the top of a hill just cruising along.

Without poles, sometimes Bryce needed a little help from his siblings.

It was hard not to laugh at this. 

Best Fries on the planet. The magic they conjured to create such length is Dumbledore level wizardry. 

The old man is still willing to hit the park....

Our second day was at Happo-One, the location of all the Olympic downhill ski events, and the largest resort in the area. This was a little tougher day for all of us. Nicole was nursing a cold (that might have been my fault), and the trails were configured in such a way that we had to navigate over parts of the mountain that were above the boys' skill level. This is also a place that forces everyone to stick to the trails (making it particularly frustrating for me because there was great terrain just past the ropes).

Really something special to summit the highest lift with your eldest child.

A memorial atop the mountain. The alps are magnificent.

Apre Ski snack. It was indeed a luxurious time.

Candle light dinner at the lodge. Coming up with three happy or thankful moments was easy on this trip.

We woke up on the third day to six inches of fresh snow! Japanese Pow! Nicole and Bryce had planned to chill in the lodge, so it was just Autumn, Zane, and me. We opted to stick with the local resort, Cortina (with the add on ability to ski the neighboring Norikura resort). Unfortunately the snow fell at that regrettable temperature of 32 degrees F (0 degrees C to the rest of the world), making it heavy and sticky. It felt like snowboarding through cement. Add to that was the constant drizzle all morning, and we decided to call it quits at noon. It was really no bother because the lodge is such an inviting place with a nice warm fireplace and a TV so big you could walk right through it. The boys could sled during breaks in the rain.

The layers of clouds moved in and out of the valleys all day. The sun threatened to break through, but never really did.

Sure is fun to ride with these two. 

This is the look of wet and weary snowboarders. It was time to call it a day. 

Braving the elements outside the lodge.

The Long Way Around The World

The TV Lounge was quite inviting. These were the best bean bags known to man. 

All in all, this was a perfect diversion from our normal routine, and one we will cherish forever. Having said that, the ski resorts were not all that spectacular, and certainly nothing more than what we have in California. The terrain is fairly boring compared to the Sierra Mountains, and the snow wasn't as dry as we had hoped (possibly a function of the end of season timeframe). And for all the well thought out Japanese pleasantries everywhere else, we found the trail maps, trail markings, and lifts to be arcane and difficult to navigate. But hey, for a miserly sum of $36 for a lift ticket, who are we to complain?

If there is one thing I would come back for, it would definitely be for the backcountry. The Hakuba Valley is towered on either side by majestic mountain ranges with layers upon layers of ridges shrouded in leafless trees that creates a cartoonish dark outline. Above the tree line stands peaks with shear drops, chutes, and open bowls for days. If I could compare it to something back home it would be closest to the Eastern flank of the Sierras as you drive down 395.

Of course, it's pretty awesome to come home from Hakuba and stare at Mt Fuji in the windshield for 45 minutes.

All for now... Next stop, back to Tokyo for a week!

Oh, I figured I would touch on our plan for the coming months. If anyone wants to tag along, give us a heads up. We love the company.

Mar 17 to 23: Rome
Mar 23 to 27: Amalfi Coast
Mar 27 to Apr 22: Tuscany, Florence, Venice, Dolomites, Milan (Exact timing is pending)
The following is loose:
Apr 23 to 30: Barcelona
May 1 to May 21: France (Southern France to Paris)
May 22 to Jun 22: Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia