HAKUBA JAPAN
BEST FOR: DISCOVERING THE WORLD
One of our favourite things about skiing is having the option to use the sport as a tool to explore. And there’s nowhere more fascinating than the resort of Hakuba on the south island of Japan. Experience the wonderfully diverse Japanese culture and cuisine from the vantage point of the slopes.
To get there, take a bullet train from Tokyo to the Winter Olympics city of Nagano, then it’s an hour’s drive up to the stunning Japanese Alps that sit at around 3,000m.
Stay at Hotel Goryukan goryukan. jp which is run by downhill ski racer Michihiko Nakamura and famed for its impressive onsen hot spring bathing house. Hakuba is a large resort surrounded by a number of different ski areas: HappoOne (the closest), Hakuba 47, Cortina, Iwatake, Norikura and Tsugaike. Norikura is quiet and has wide, open beginner slopes, while the restaurant at Heidi Hof chalet 00 81 261 725 010 is worth a visit for the local cuisine – a pure joy on a winter’s day.
The facilities aren’t overly modern but they all work and the experience of being in an inspiring country adds to the excitement. Be sure to take a tour to see the famous snow monkeys and don’t visit Hakuba without booking a table at sushi joint Kikuya 00 81 261 723 633; some say it’s worth the 12-hour flight alone.
Book into the Evergreen International Ski School, which provides the flexibility to take part in full-day programmes for up to seven consecutive days for the price of five.
THE DETAIL A flexi-week programme with the Evergreen International Ski School costs £325pp. A midweek one-day lift pass at Hakuba Norikura costs £25pp; weekend passes are priced at £29pp. evergreen-hakuba.com