Hey everyone!
First time poster and in desperate need of some good advice for where I should be going.
Just to give you some context, I have decided that I am going to Japan for two and half months (Starting Feb. 3rd or so) and I will be getting a season pass for either Niseko or Hakuba, but the problem is it's just way too hard to decide between the two! I've done a lot of preliminary research on the differences between the two, but I was really hoping I could get some more specific information here. I'll try to be as precise as possible in describing what's important to me, so lets get started!
First and foremost, regardless of snow conditions in either place, one of the most important things for me to know is which of the two places has the better terrain park, and even more specifically, which place has better rails, jibs, bonks and those kinds of features. I like a good tabletop too, but I find the quality of the build is usually the most important thing when looking at jumps. I consider myself an advanced rider which I only mention because while a place may have a "lot" of rails and jumps, if they're designed for newer riders I'm really not all that interested, so if anyone could help shed some light on which place is better in the park department that would be awesome! and very much appreciated. In a similar vein, as soon as I arrived in either place, I would likely be looking to meet up / hook up with other people with similar freestyle interests. Any preference there? oh, and any advice on where to look for networking for this would be awesome!
The next big thing I would like to know is, what's the difference in nightlife between the two? While this question has been asked a lot, I wanted to ask it from a slightly different perspective than it usually is. Since I am not someone who is going to be there for a week or two, theres a few specific things I was hoping someone could shed some light on.
First, is one place noticably more expensive for just about everything like food, drinks, and the like? And is the Niseko nightlife mainly geared toward wealthy tourists only there for a few days? As someone who loves live music, does one place have many more opportunities to see some great local bands, DJ sets, rock bands, etc.? are there any venues for that sort of thing in either place?
While I may be a park rat at heart, I could certainly do that here in CO, so I was wondering, as far as backcountry, bowls, trees and freeriding goes, is it even possible that I would be in short supply of these things at either resort? keep in mind this is for Feb - Early April so that could factor in. What I'm really looking for is, lets say between niskeo and hakuba 47 and Happo-one only, which would better satisfy my freeriding needs?
I know this already very long, and I apologize, but the last thing I was hoping all you fine people could help me out with is..... how different are the two in terms of japanese cultural experience? I've heard Niseko is definitely less of Japanese cultural immersion and Hakuba more, but I was more looking for the degrees between the two. Is Niseko almost entirely Australian run bars and companies? would I be able to have a conversation in japanese (I speak japanese) with the owners of a local run ramen place before I step outside and greet some japanese locals walking by in their fur coats? or is it all australian tourists? I know this is a vague question, but I would like to try to narrow down the overall vibe of each place. for example very touristy feels like sydney or feels like a locals only mountain town or lost town in the mountains with little contact (these examples are mostly just jokes btw)
Thank you very much any one who takes the time to read this, and a HUGE thank you to anyone who takes the time to actually respond! This is starting to go down as one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made. And while I know I have some contradictory points in there, (i.e. good nightlife vs. touristy feel etc) I'm more just trying to nail down the feel of each to help me decide.
As a final note, if anyone can comment on the quality of the skatepark for Hakuba and Niseko, that would also help a lot.
Thanks Again!
First time poster and in desperate need of some good advice for where I should be going.
Just to give you some context, I have decided that I am going to Japan for two and half months (Starting Feb. 3rd or so) and I will be getting a season pass for either Niseko or Hakuba, but the problem is it's just way too hard to decide between the two! I've done a lot of preliminary research on the differences between the two, but I was really hoping I could get some more specific information here. I'll try to be as precise as possible in describing what's important to me, so lets get started!
First and foremost, regardless of snow conditions in either place, one of the most important things for me to know is which of the two places has the better terrain park, and even more specifically, which place has better rails, jibs, bonks and those kinds of features. I like a good tabletop too, but I find the quality of the build is usually the most important thing when looking at jumps. I consider myself an advanced rider which I only mention because while a place may have a "lot" of rails and jumps, if they're designed for newer riders I'm really not all that interested, so if anyone could help shed some light on which place is better in the park department that would be awesome! and very much appreciated. In a similar vein, as soon as I arrived in either place, I would likely be looking to meet up / hook up with other people with similar freestyle interests. Any preference there? oh, and any advice on where to look for networking for this would be awesome!
The next big thing I would like to know is, what's the difference in nightlife between the two? While this question has been asked a lot, I wanted to ask it from a slightly different perspective than it usually is. Since I am not someone who is going to be there for a week or two, theres a few specific things I was hoping someone could shed some light on.
First, is one place noticably more expensive for just about everything like food, drinks, and the like? And is the Niseko nightlife mainly geared toward wealthy tourists only there for a few days? As someone who loves live music, does one place have many more opportunities to see some great local bands, DJ sets, rock bands, etc.? are there any venues for that sort of thing in either place?
While I may be a park rat at heart, I could certainly do that here in CO, so I was wondering, as far as backcountry, bowls, trees and freeriding goes, is it even possible that I would be in short supply of these things at either resort? keep in mind this is for Feb - Early April so that could factor in. What I'm really looking for is, lets say between niskeo and hakuba 47 and Happo-one only, which would better satisfy my freeriding needs?
I know this already very long, and I apologize, but the last thing I was hoping all you fine people could help me out with is..... how different are the two in terms of japanese cultural experience? I've heard Niseko is definitely less of Japanese cultural immersion and Hakuba more, but I was more looking for the degrees between the two. Is Niseko almost entirely Australian run bars and companies? would I be able to have a conversation in japanese (I speak japanese) with the owners of a local run ramen place before I step outside and greet some japanese locals walking by in their fur coats? or is it all australian tourists? I know this is a vague question, but I would like to try to narrow down the overall vibe of each place. for example very touristy feels like sydney or feels like a locals only mountain town or lost town in the mountains with little contact (these examples are mostly just jokes btw)
Thank you very much any one who takes the time to read this, and a HUGE thank you to anyone who takes the time to actually respond! This is starting to go down as one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made. And while I know I have some contradictory points in there, (i.e. good nightlife vs. touristy feel etc) I'm more just trying to nail down the feel of each to help me decide.
As a final note, if anyone can comment on the quality of the skatepark for Hakuba and Niseko, that would also help a lot.
Thanks Again!