After moving up to Sapporo last week and finally getting most of my sh#t organised, I managed to get a day out to local ski hill, Sapporo Teine. I had heard that after March 31st (yesterday) that they had closed on weekdays and were only open on weekends....thankfully for me that wasn't the case, although the Olympia area was closed so perhaps its only half open on weekdays from April 1st. I tried to get a JR Ski Pack from Sapporo station but these deals actually did end on March 31st and the daily shuttle bus from Teine station has also stopped. Kind of sucks cos its much easier for me to get to Teine station early morning than take one of the hotel liner buses from Sapporo station. After a little bit of checking on the interwebs (sorry Pies, didn't find any existence of this so called "Porn" you were on about in a different thread) I found 1 company still running a resort bus from the Art Hotel, Tokyu Excel and the JR Tower Nikko hotel in Sapporo up to Teine Highland.
I was a little concerned about moving up here as I'd heard that Hokkaido wasn't the steepest of places.......thankfully, as soon as I sighted land, this heinous myth was dispelled
![Posted Image]()
![;)]()
![:p]()
It was a beautiful day in Sapporo today, bluebird, a tiny amount of new snow littered the roads around my house....hoping for a good day.
![Posted Image]()
Lots of snow around and hardly any people.....I'm liking it already. After getting changed and picking up my pass, I take the summit express to the top. I know that the back bowls are accessed from the top of this lift, a short walk up to the old ropeway station but I'm on my own and its been a fair few weeks since I've been on a board so I stretch my legs on the main slope down. I'm blown away by the view from the top of Teine, clear views right over the city, as far skiers right as the Prince hotel (and my house) and as far left as the ocean....very very cool. The pic below is from about half way down the main steep slope, you can't really appreciate the slope so much, but it was where the womens giant slalom was held in '72 (I think...at least thats what the run is called , womens giant slalom course)
![Posted Image]()
Mid morning this was still Death Nugget central so after 1 run I thought I'd give the trees a go under the old ropeway. Its an official expert course that is of course ungroomed. The top section is pretty steep and from the lift looked like it was littered with death moguls....I def wanted to duck the rope further up and get into the trees before I hit the mogul-bahn. The snow in here was also hard and crusty....the moguls of course were scraped and no fun for a boarder, a little into the trees, whilst not exactly soft and fun, were a hell lot better than the main slope.........mind you that didn't stop this young skier rippng it up in my face!!![:D]()
![Posted Image]()
While the snow condition wasn't very good, certainly not what it would be like mid-winter, for a mess around on April 1st, it wasn't too bad. Coverage was excellent and there were loads of easy in-bounds lines that I've mapped out for next season. There are a couple of decent steep sections in Teine, 2 pisted areas and more than a few in-between tree sections that would keep you coming back for more on a pow day. Of course, I didn't get to ride what Teine is famous for...the back bowls accessed off of the old ropeway, but being on my own and the state of the in bounds off-piste runs I didn't want to chance anything.
![Posted Image]()
![Posted Image]()
All in all, I had a fun day out. Its always nice to get out on the mountain on such a beautiful day. I was desperate to hit this place once before the close of season, just so I have an idea of what to head for next season when winter starts again. Its got a lot of easily poachable terrain by the looks of it and with all the talk of the more famous resorts on Hokkaido, I feel this is definitely running under the radar a bit. SO close to Sapporo, lots of good looking terrain....with a famous Hokkaido dump, this place will be awesome. I can't wait for next season already!!
![Posted Image]()
also.....I'm always intrigued to see some of the strange things you find at Japanese ski resorts.....this one has a Big Wheel![:D]()
![Posted Image]()
I was a little concerned about moving up here as I'd heard that Hokkaido wasn't the steepest of places.......thankfully, as soon as I sighted land, this heinous myth was dispelled
It was a beautiful day in Sapporo today, bluebird, a tiny amount of new snow littered the roads around my house....hoping for a good day.
Lots of snow around and hardly any people.....I'm liking it already. After getting changed and picking up my pass, I take the summit express to the top. I know that the back bowls are accessed from the top of this lift, a short walk up to the old ropeway station but I'm on my own and its been a fair few weeks since I've been on a board so I stretch my legs on the main slope down. I'm blown away by the view from the top of Teine, clear views right over the city, as far skiers right as the Prince hotel (and my house) and as far left as the ocean....very very cool. The pic below is from about half way down the main steep slope, you can't really appreciate the slope so much, but it was where the womens giant slalom was held in '72 (I think...at least thats what the run is called , womens giant slalom course)
Mid morning this was still Death Nugget central so after 1 run I thought I'd give the trees a go under the old ropeway. Its an official expert course that is of course ungroomed. The top section is pretty steep and from the lift looked like it was littered with death moguls....I def wanted to duck the rope further up and get into the trees before I hit the mogul-bahn. The snow in here was also hard and crusty....the moguls of course were scraped and no fun for a boarder, a little into the trees, whilst not exactly soft and fun, were a hell lot better than the main slope.........mind you that didn't stop this young skier rippng it up in my face!!
While the snow condition wasn't very good, certainly not what it would be like mid-winter, for a mess around on April 1st, it wasn't too bad. Coverage was excellent and there were loads of easy in-bounds lines that I've mapped out for next season. There are a couple of decent steep sections in Teine, 2 pisted areas and more than a few in-between tree sections that would keep you coming back for more on a pow day. Of course, I didn't get to ride what Teine is famous for...the back bowls accessed off of the old ropeway, but being on my own and the state of the in bounds off-piste runs I didn't want to chance anything.
All in all, I had a fun day out. Its always nice to get out on the mountain on such a beautiful day. I was desperate to hit this place once before the close of season, just so I have an idea of what to head for next season when winter starts again. Its got a lot of easily poachable terrain by the looks of it and with all the talk of the more famous resorts on Hokkaido, I feel this is definitely running under the radar a bit. SO close to Sapporo, lots of good looking terrain....with a famous Hokkaido dump, this place will be awesome. I can't wait for next season already!!
also.....I'm always intrigued to see some of the strange things you find at Japanese ski resorts.....this one has a Big Wheel
