6-Week Master the Mountain Diary 6: The Boulder Hut Trip The final week on the Master the Mountain Improvement Course
By Jen Mitchell, NONSTOP Course Host
The Master the Mountain course came into it’s final week this week with a sense of excitement and anticipation. Not only did we have Olympic fever with the Canadian team winning their first gold on home soil in [...]
Adam's Apples #11 Take a bite of snowboarding knowledge Hey, my name is Adam Bowcutt and I am a snowboarder. Welcome to this week's tasty round-up of snowboarding blog posts, articles and forum topics from around the world.
From Russia with Style
Halfpipe snowboarding has been embraced by the public. After witnessing the superhuman skill of Shaun White performing his Olympic gold medal winning run surely [...]
Snowboard size – How to choose an appropriate board I'd love to answer the question "What size snowboard should I buy?" with this blog, but we've got to be realistic – it's not going to be that simple. The factors that influence your snowboard size are vast, and every board is unique, so I don't believe in tying the decision down to a simple [...]
Niseko - Japan
One of Japan’s best kept secrets, Niseko ski resort encompasses three
excellent ski destinations on the northern island of Hokkaido, where
attention to detail is second to none. The beginner slopes here are
well groomed, while advanced sliders get mogul runs and off-piste
artists can take advantage of masses of powder and tree-lined runs.
Annupuri is the quieter, beginner resort of the three, while Hirafu
sees more crowds and has tougher slopes.
The resort base at Niseko is located at around 1,000 feet above sea
level. Facilities and services are really good and there are ski
schools and plentiful equipment rental stores.
The three Niseko ski resorts offer more than 60 slopes for all skill
levels and each resort has a snowboard park, with the exception of
Annupuri. Hirafu also boasts a 328-foot half-pipe. There are 37 ski
lifts altogether, half of which belong to Hirafu, with a capacity to
carry more than 40,000 people per hour to the slopes and off-piste
trails. The vertical is nearly 3,000 feet and each resort has a lengthy
run.
Accommodation at Niseko ski resort is at hotels, pensions and bed and
breakfasts, and there are about 30 establishments in all, with Hirafu
offering the most beds. The majority of hotels offer excellent
facilities and you will find very friendly hosts, not to mention superb
food, both traditional Japanese and Western, while après-ski can best
be enjoyed at Hirafu.
If you fancy a break from the slopes of Niseko ski resort, Hirafu
village has some fantastic, open-air hot springs in beautiful settings
at the southern end of the village. Farther afield is the town of
Sapporo, which was host to the 1972 Winter Olympics and is the centre
of many fine ski resorts. Just outside Sapporo is the Hokkaido
Historical Village, which is well worth a look if you have a spare day.
Niseko ski resort’s ski season runs from November to May, with ideal
snow conditions in February and March when the powder is at its driest.
The most convenient means of transport to the resort is to fly to
Sapporo-Chitose Airport and then hire a car to get to the resort.
Resort Information 
