Hakuba Valley—The Jewel of the Japan Alps

WORDS: Scout Petersen    PHOTOS: Hiroya Nakata

It’s similar to each ski city, besides fully completely different. Nestled throughout the Nagano prefecture’s Ushiro Tateyama Mountain Vary, Hakuba Valley stands as a skier’s sanctuary. Hakuba Valley is comprised of 10 resorts dotting the bottom of the vary—assume huge open faces, cliff drops and trails that wind via steep, powdery tree groves. Generally known as the Japanese Alps, it options foothill mountains with towering peaks, all interconnected by a short bus or taxi journey. This winter wonderland is a global epicenter for snowboarding, a swift bullet prepare and bus journey away from the guts of Tokyo.

When you’re flying from the US, your journey is more likely to start in Tokyo, a metropolis that intertwines Japanese customs with futuristic expertise. Earlier than hitching a journey up the hills, take a day or two to discover town’s fish market, arcades and insane dance golf equipment. You’d be remiss to skip the life-sized Godzilla on a visit to Tokyo. Professional tip—if you happen to’ve flown together with your gear, snag a storage locker on the prepare station so you possibly can keep away from lugging skis throughout city. 

The journey to Hakuba Valley is as a lot part of the journey because the snowboarding itself. Don’t be shocked whenever you arrive at your bus or prepare and it’s full of fellow skiers. The quickest path to Hakuba Valley begins with a bullet prepare from Toyko to Nagano, residence of the 1998 Winter Olympics. From Nagano, the drive continues with a scenic hour-long bus journey to Hakuba’s Central Station, the place you possibly can ogle on the views alongside the best way. Echoland, between Hakuba 47 and Happo-one (pronounced oh-nay, not “one”),  is a good residence base, the place the get together rages and hostels are plentiful. 

The ski season in Hakuba mirrors that of the US, with the very best circumstances being from early December via mid to late April. With 400 inches of common snowfall a 12 months, you would possibly expertise what Japan calls’ JAPOW—the low humidity powder that solely occurs right here. Professionals descend on this area yearly for Japowuary, a two-month span when Hakuba will get pounded with probably the most snowfall on the globe. Enterprise onto the terrain, and also you’ll rapidly see why Happo-one snagged a spot as a qualifier occasion for the Freeride World Tour in 2023. Because the resort with the most important skiable space, most lifts, highest elevation and longest runs, Happo-one must be in your must-do’s. 

Don’t converse Japanese? Not an issue in Hakuba. The realm’s seen Australian and US ski vacationers for years, so that you’d be shocked by the quantity of English you’ll hear. 

Epic Move holders have entry to Hakuba Valley’s 10 resorts by means of 5 consecutive days of snowboarding, sans blackout dates, throughout the valley. Every resort seamlessly connects via the Hakuba Valley bus system, so you possibly can leap from base to base as you please. The very best half? Rides are complimentary with a Hakuba Valley elevate go or Epic Move; in any other case, it’s a ¥600 fare every manner, which equates to about $4.

Whereas it’s tempting to solely hop throughout the ten resorts, think about designating a day or two to backcountry snowboarding, a realm finest explored with the steerage of execs like Kazuya Furuse at Locus Information Service. “The snowboarding can get severe right here, with sometimes-fickle snow circumstances, terrain traps galore and big terrain normally; that is no place for an off-the-cuff dip out of bounds,” explains Furuse. “Carry a information and your wits, since you’ll want each.” Having somebody prepared the ground in another country means much less stress and extra slopes. Plus, it opens up a world of untouched terrain, removed from elevate strains and crowded runs.

Not often are you able to discover a spot the place a merchandising machine spits out beers mid ski slope. Want a elevate drink? Simple. Toss the machine a couple of Yen and also you don’t must spend the day lugging round cans. Identical to in Whistler or Chamonix, the après ski tradition at Hakuba is alive and properly. If the solar units and your ski itch isn’t fairly scratched, it’s good to give evening snowboarding a strive. Get pleasure from scorching sake and ramen whereas native snowboarding groups rip till 9:30 p.m. earlier than heading to Echoland to swapping tales and luxuriate in a pair chilly ones. 

And when it’s time for the inevitable down day, Hakuba’s quite a few onsens, the Japanese model of a scorching spring, beckon. Soak within the largest scorching spring within the valley, Mizubasho Onsen, whereas surrounded by snow-capped peaks. 

Hakuba Valley isn’t only a ski vacation spot; it’s an immersive locale that blends journey, tradition and pure magnificence and can depart able to guide your return journey.