Snowriders Australia is a news media webiste for skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts
Lets face it, 2020 was a year to forget. But if memory serves correct, the first couple of months were pretty good! Rewind to January 2020. A time when Snowriders Australia subscribers joined Glenn and Hamish for a hosted trip discovering the Nagano/Niigata area based in Madarao. For those that don't know, Madarao (pronounced "Mada-raall") …
Continue reading "Madarao – the hidden gateway to Nagano & Niigata"
Skiing and snowboarding in Japan is the hottest winter sports ticket in the world at the moment, and why wouldn’t it be: it consistently records the lightest and driest snow on earth, and it falls in quantities that’ll make your head spin – every time! If like many Aussies, you punctuate or even book-end you …
Continue reading "Three really cool things to do in Tokyo on your way home from the snow"
Nagano! Everyone's heard of Nagano, right? It's home to Shiga Kogen, Nozawa Onsen, Myoko and of course, Hakuba. But would it surprise you if we told you the region is home to literally dozens of resorts, most of which you've never heard of? For example, if we mentioned Seki Onsen, Lotte Arai, Kita Shinsu, X-Jam …
Mount Hotham is widely known as the powder capital of Australian ski resorts…And for good reason: (a) it rocks on a powder day and (b) it rocks on a powder day. We consulted with Hotham local, Scott Newman of Kalyna Ski Club, to find out where he rides when the powder is on. We'll let …
Continue reading "Hotham’s best powder stashes: local reveals all"
Every year hordes of people write to us asking for insights or an 'insiders' guide to the Japanese resorts of Hokkaido and Honshu. While we've visited our fair share of the Japanese resorts, our time in these beautiful places is often too short. So although we've had a taste of what these resorts have to …
Continue reading "Nozawa Onsen: from the inside looking out"
Our legion of followers have been very busy recently, traveling the world, experiencing some of the best snow on offer.  Here, guest reporter, Hamish Macphee, gives us the low down on his first trip to Japan, taking in the popular resort of Hakuba and up-and-coming ski area, Madarao (or MadaPOW as it's known affectionately). Madarao …
Continue reading "First time JaPOW: the only question is Hakuba or Madarao? Why not both?"
By Hamish Macphee Finding value in the Aussie ski fields can often be a fool's task. With lift tickets over $130 at most resorts and a pie and Gatorade for lunch over $15 you could be forgiven for giving up the search. Enter Charlotte Pass - a quiet place to learn to ski or just …
Continue reading "Charlotte Pass: The search for Australia’s best value snow experience ends here"
Skiing and snowboarding in Japan is the hottest winter sports ticket in the world at the moment, and why wouldn’t it be: it consistently records the lightest and driest snow on earth, and it falls in quantities that’ll make your head spin – every time! Let’s be clear – Japan is no longer a secret. …
Continue reading "Madarao: An untapped Tree-Skiing Powder Paradise"
From ski patrol director to northern hemisphere back country guide, to one of the most photographed skiers in the country, Bill Barker is undoubtedly one of Australia's most respected and recognisable skiers. In the Australian summer, Bill runs big mountain adventures to Kashmir on the border of India and Pakistan, and – amazingly – the …
Continue reading "Bill Barker: on skiing with penguins and leopard seals in Antarctica"
In late February 2018, my family and I traveled to a small, but emerging resort in the Nagano Prefecture, called Madarao (or Madarao Kogen), where we took our kids skiing for the first time. The kids took to skiing like ducks to water, loved the culture and generally just loved the entire experience, from the trains to the food to the endless amount of snow. After many years of skiing on my own, I can sincerely say I enjoyed the family trip so much more than I ever thought, and for different reasons too. The following is our story.
Snowriders Australia 