Yeah, always more fun in a group, or at minimum with a partner :D

Anyways if I do resume next season I'd probably do a mix of both, maybe a day with the kid sleighing and doing snowball fights or something, but after that in with the daycare he goes while my wife and I try to remember all our previous seasons' ski school tips :D

Was just initially a tad bit surprised by the cost, will just have to find some cuts elsewhere (probably food)

Okay I see.
According to website, only 20cm accumulation at the top of the Gala gondola.
Sure seems like there's plenty of snow on NASPA webcam, but I guess you can't judge by that.
I'm not worried... still got a couple weeks.
But man, ski resort is such a tough business to be in. They must lose so much sleep worrying about the forecast.

Annapuri is as good/poor a location as any in the area outside of Hirafu for non-ski activities. It's really no worse for Toya etc.
I rent a car every time and for the whole trip and it's pretty simple to snow drive. It's actually much nicer than ice because it's frequently sub-0 (C, of course) and snowing in Japan and as such you don't drive on ice.
Ice is terrible. If the daytime temps get to melting point then just don't drive until there has been a big dump. I've only seen that once in winter in Hokkaido. Feb 8th-ish about 3 years back; accidents everywhere as the locals do drive pretty fast.

But- with snow and snow tyres and AWD (every car for rent in Hokkdaido in winter, even the little Nissan March!) it's simple to drive and 60-80 or even 100km/hr is relatively safe. Drive to conditions, test your brakes regularly and you'll be fine. Could do a day trip to Hakodate.

Snowshoes you may be able to rent locally, otherwise the Rhythm backcountry store rents them out (Hirafu). Somewhere around 2000Y per day per pair from memory. Can take them out to Toya and surrounds and have some fun.

Evergrn- Staying in the Naturwald, cheapish and cheerful and right on the slopes. The New Prince is too far from things, not quite walkable and not easily driven (just a little short to be convenient). Will check out the new hotel though! The old Prince is relatively expensive normally, so Naturwald is a good balance. Will ski the slopes locally if there is ok snow. If amazing powder days will go backcountry nearby and if not tonnes of fresh snow will head to Asahikawa zoo and other attractions!

True, but........ going skiing by yourself is still a blast and a heck of lot more fun than going to the gym by yourself.

Sounds good.
You might be a bit disappointed by Asahiyama Zoo, coming from Australia. It's certainly nothing like Singapore Zoo and even less exhibits than Seattle Zoo. But it's one of the better ones in Jpn, and it might interest you to see what zoos are like in Jpn if you haven't been. My kids liked it. I had a lot of great baked goods and desserts around Furano during the summer. Not sure if those places are open in winter time. Also went to Asahidake in the summer time, where the scenery and the volcano are striking... apparently there is some hardcore powder skiing there, although it's just 1 ropeway serving the place.

I have a season pass to the zoo 😂
While it’s not on par with the better zoos of the world, it’s got penguins and red pandas that seem to love life. The rest of it isn’t so great but I make a point to go most years as I love red pandas!

They have some cafes open in winter but nothing that I really remember as notable so they may be a summer thing? Will go to ramen town or whatever it’s called for a feed- there’s a little strip of about 5 ramen shops with their own specialties each.

Asahidake is interesting. If you can go when there is a huge dump just been (almost always) but no wind (almost never) then you can have some great days.
You need touring gear to properly enjoy it as there are SO MANY people there on the prescribes “courses” and as you say, the single rope way.

So days there I park about 1 km before the town and tour off the side of the road into the little valleys but otherwise go up the rope way and tour to the frozen lake/marsh and do laps of that area. Lots of people will try for the summit but it’s windy, exposed and poor snow. Better to take the fun powder tree lines. We can usually get about 5-6 laps in before a final ski down to the base and it only costs a single one way ticket each day!

wow you've been everywhere! Laps around those alpine lakes up there must mean you're basically cross-country skiing? I can imagine the winds up there could be brutal sometimes.

Anyways, red panda pics from past travels to make your day.
(we call them lesser pandas in Jpn)
For some reason, I couldn't get their faces.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c0bcfacca0.jpg
Asahiyama Zoo

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...be4062def9.jpg
HK Ocean Park

Asahidake winds can be crazy but as you probably know, Japanese lift operators tend to the conservative when it comes to slowing down or stopping operations. So it’s hard to actually get on mountain during windy days, and visibility is regularly poor. I’ll find some pics to post.

I’ve never been more north than 1 hour out of asahikawa and to kurodake and some surrounding passes. I’ve also never really been east of Asahidake and tokachidake so would like to do there.

In 2021 may do a backcountry hut trip. Shokanbetsu and shokanso hut were really fun 2 years back.

we use split boards or touring gear rather than cross country skis per se- our heels lift off and we use skins (grippy fur things) for the ascent/walking then take it off and lock the heels for the descent.

I would recommend Asahidake as practically ski in and out but on average in 3 days there you’ll only get one on mountain. But these tend to come in streaks so may be 3 for 0 or skiing all 3!

I had not even heard of splitboard before.
You are way more adventurous than me.
This backcountry hut trip you're considering is a summer thing, right? Or are you talking doing this on skis in winter?

Splitboards are still pretty small except among the boarding community, but are getting popular. Backcountry huts would be a winter thing, tour out to them (generally towing a sled) and then camp out in a hut while skiing each day. Cheaper than a snow resort!

wow that's hardcore. But it is with a local guide, correct? That would definitely not be for me, but it must feel good to warm up in a hut and enjoy hot food after a long cold trek.

No guide. Use one for some day trips, local lady skier to show us new places.
but others such as the huts we just plot a route on gps and give it a shot!

As you say, the huts are nice once you warm them up and get something cooking. Then they freeze rapidly so you jump in your sleeping bag! 😂

early to bed generally, often by 7pm just cos it’s freezing and there’s nothing to do after eating.

Anybody looking for snow reports, this site is really good....

https://www.snowjapan.com/japan-dail...rts/Yuzawa-Now

Yep, the xxNow series are great. The niseko guy/gal has a lot of personality.

Hey 5khours
Is it true that, because a whole bunch of people get off shinkansen at the Gala station all at once, there could be literally an hour difference in the rental queue time between the first off the shinkansen to get down the stairs to rental and the last? Have you experienced this to be true, or is that an exaggeration by the blogger?

I can figure things out and research which train car would be the best. I'm using the Kanto rail pass this time (ie, can't use the machine) and I'm just wondering if it's worth even asking and looking like a pain in the a** at the JR office.
(Usually JR tix office people are totally cool when I tell them I want to be in this particular part of the train on this compartment and here's why. But in this case, I'm landing at NRT the evening before and so I've gotta do it at NRT. Some of the JR ticket staff at NRT have short fuse and they get annoyed pretty quick.)