Once again we were exhausted from the previous evening so we didn’t get out until 10:30. We went to Niseko Moiwa, which is about 1km from our Niseko One towers hotel. Moiwa is a 1,600 vertical ski area on a separate lift ticket from the 4 Niseko United areas. Thus it’s very quiet and ideal for our late start, especially since we’re meeting a couple of Rainbow Jenny’s local contacts, Chris and Flora. Chris is a professor in Hong Kong but lives in Hokkaido when school is out, enough to get ~70 ski days plus a shorter summer vacation. Hokkaido is quite pleasant in summer vs. the steamier Japanese islands farther south.
Moiwa greeting sign at the base:
This is one of the places where the reality lives up to the advertising.
The map doesn’t look like much but the sidecountry out gates 6 and 10 is extensive. We did not go out gate 6, which terrain is also accessible from the busier Annapuri side of Niseko United. Chris prefers Gate 10, accessible only from Moiwa, where powder lasts a very long time. Only 4 inches was reported this morning, but it skied like much more.
Jenny:
Mary:
Liz and Chris next to snow laden fallen tree:
Chris:
A rare sunny break at top of Gate 10:
On her 3rd day Liz is getting more comfortable in the powder.
Me
We finished with 12,800 vertical, 6K of powder.
We went out to dinner with Chris and Flora at Lupicia. This was an amazing French/Japanese gourmet experience, 15+ courses of “small bites,” easily the equal of omakase dinners at Matsuhisa (founded in Beverly Hills but I’ve also been to the one in Aspen twice) for about half the price.
Moiwa greeting sign at the base:
This is one of the places where the reality lives up to the advertising.
The map doesn’t look like much but the sidecountry out gates 6 and 10 is extensive. We did not go out gate 6, which terrain is also accessible from the busier Annapuri side of Niseko United. Chris prefers Gate 10, accessible only from Moiwa, where powder lasts a very long time. Only 4 inches was reported this morning, but it skied like much more.
Jenny:
Mary:
Liz and Chris next to snow laden fallen tree:
Chris:
A rare sunny break at top of Gate 10:
On her 3rd day Liz is getting more comfortable in the powder.
Me
We finished with 12,800 vertical, 6K of powder.
We went out to dinner with Chris and Flora at Lupicia. This was an amazing French/Japanese gourmet experience, 15+ courses of “small bites,” easily the equal of omakase dinners at Matsuhisa (founded in Beverly Hills but I’ve also been to the one in Aspen twice) for about half the price.