Snowriders Australia is a news media webiste for skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts
Active Life Japan, an Australian /New Zealand managed business, has entered into an agreement to purchase Palcall Tsumagoi Ski Resort, in the Karuizawa area, Japan. Active Life announced that they are proud to add Palcall to their growing list of properties, which includes three major hotels in the nearby resort of Madarao. Palcall is located …
Continue reading "Aussie / Kiwi managed business acquires Japanese resort"
If you're traveling to Japan's main island this Christmas, get your snow dancing shoes on and start busting out your best moves! That's the message from snow-industry managers all over Honshu, who are presently sweating on the snow Gods to deliver a season starting dump! A quick review of the long term snow-fall statistics, compiled …
Continue reading "Japan is off to a very slow start, but rest assured – snow is coming!"
If you've never skied or snowboarded in Japan, then you are doing yourself a serious dis-service. With some of the most consistent and best snow conditions in the world, Japan is a veritable mecca for the full range of sliders, from beginners to snow-addicted powder hounds. However, Japan is not Perisher in Australia, nor is …
Continue reading "10 mistakes foreign skiers and snowboards make in Japan"
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 …
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"
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.
There's no doubt that CAT skiing offers great value to riders looking for a new riding experience. It offers easy access to untracked powder, without hiking and without the risks normally presented by back-country skiing. It's perhaps these qualities that have earnt it the tag 'poor man's heli-skiing'. On a recent visit to Hokkaido (February …
Continue reading "Niseko Weiss Powder CATS: first tracks guaranteed"
Small crowds, a ‘local’ feel, a variety of friendly lodges, lift tickets and food priced the way it should be and tonnes of snow, translates into epic powder days centred around a true Japanese cultural experience that visitors crave – all without those regretful stares from lift-queue’s, back up to quickly-disappearing fresh tracks. Standing 1,382 …
Japan is one of the hottest skiing tickets in the world right now, and why wouldn’t it be? It’s got great culture, delicious food, friendly people and colossal amounts of the lightest and driest snow found anywhere in the world. Japan’s snow quality, reliability and proximity to Australia is why more and more Aussies are …
Continue reading "Recipe for Japow: the Japanese snow machine explained"
Words by Andrew Spittle As snow lovers, we all have our morning rituals; whether it’s putting on your lucky ski socks, a warming morning shower, yoga (snowga), or in my case enjoying a good coffee. Finding a good coffee is not always easy in ski towns. North America for example until recently had a disappointing …
Continue reading "The definitive guide to finding a good coffee in Niseko, Japan"
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