Niseko, Hokkaido
Niseko (ニセコ町, Niseko-chō?) is a town located in Abuta District, Shiribeshi, Hokkaidō, Japan. Although in Japanese, Niseko principally refers to a municipal area, overseas, the name has come to refer to a wider area of ski resorts encompassing Hokkiado’s Mount Yōtei and Annupuri ranges. It is one of the most famous ski resorts in Japan known for it’s powder light snow and spectacular mountainous outback.
Niseko is comprised of seven ski areas, in order of size:
* Niseko Mt. Resort Grand Hirafu, centered around the village of Hirafu is perhaps the best known field but is actually part of the neighbouring Kutchan township.
* Niseko Higashiyama is the less popular neighbor of Hirafu but has the best front valley skiing.
* Niseko Annupuri is hit with the strongest winds and worst weather in the area, causing occasional closures.
* Niseko Hanazono
* Niseko Moiwa
* Niseko Weiss
Niseko also has back-country ski-courses that are unofficially on the maps. To the furthest right of Annupuri lies Sannozaka, an area prone to avalanche but with high quality snow. To the far right of Hirafu lies Higashi One, also prone to avalanche but with a challenging back-country terrain. Near the lower half of Hirafu is a forest route called Strawbery Fields, which is perhaps the most famous run in Hirafu. Climbing Mount Yōtei also provides back country skiing.
Hirafu is the perhaps the most foreigner-friendly resort thanks to the many Australian skiers and snowboarders who have been frequenting their slopes. The town is like a western town within Japan where all menus are in English and imported food items are in abundance.
Because of its northern location, Niseko is fed by weather streams that come from Siberia rather than from Eastern Japan. The resort experiences a consistently high and light snowfall. The snow is not as dry as other areas in Hokkaidō, but the volume is high, with the average snow depth in March reaching 351cm.
Niseko was named as the world’s second snowiest resort in December 2007 with annual average snow fall of 595 inches (15.11 metres)/ First place went to the Mt Baker Ski Area in Washington State with 641 inches.
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