Originally Posted by
mileagerunner
I'm thinking about taking my son skiing outside Tokyo one of these weekends. He's been to Niseko, and loves it there, but it's gotten too expensive and I always have problems with the Hilton's on-site snow school. The school seems to cater mainly to beginners, so every group lesson ends up being a beginner lesson.
I'm still looking for a suitable option so your post about NASPA was really timely. Did you sign your kids up for private or group lessons? I only see the option for private lessons on their website but you mention group lessons. Do you recall the cost?
Have you been to Gala Yuzawa? How would you compare NASPA to it? I've done a day trip to Gala Yuzawa and found it to be extremely crowded (relative to Niseko at least) but I liked the range of terrain.
What I also liked about Gala Yuzawa is that it's really easy to get to, especially if you can use the JR Tokyo Wide Pass for confirmed Shinkansen seats.
If you like the Niseko area I'd recommend staying in Hirafu instead. We've been staying there annually for about 7 years. There are a few (almost) ski in / out places and the mountain access is much better than in Niseko village (though we do like the hot chocolate at the Hilton :-) )
The main ski schools are NISS, NBS and GoSnow. We have used all three at various times and have had good experiences. This year we will be going back to Go Snow, in part because of their flexibility for our schedule and partly due to pricing.
Our boys have progressed up through the various kids programmes which seem well organised