Winter 2012/13

Summer Season over and winter just around the corner. Pretty cold over here right now so fingers crossed for some early snow.

Alpine Lodge will be open from Friday December 14th. It is starting to get busy for Christmas and New Year so get your bookings in soon to avoid disappointment.

The resorts are starting to put their projected opening dates up...

Houdaigi - December 15th
Norn - December 20th
Minakami Kogen - December 22nd

Still no word from Okutone or Tenjin.

Sure to be some good early season deals on for the first turns of the season. Ski & Snowboard Lessons will be good to go as soon as the snow is on the ground.

Goodbye Green Season

Summer season 2012 comes to a close - the end of 6 months of fun on the river. Thanks to everyone who made it up to Minakami this summer and we hope to see you all again this winter or next year for plenty more fun. It'll probably look much like this year with the river adventures kicking off late April and running through until the end of October.

In the meantime if you are looking to get out and about, the autumn colors in Minakami are nearing their best and we are running caving tours until the snow comes. If you enjoyed the rope work in the canyon then caving offers plenty more challenges.

Winter is just around the corner. The Alpine Lodge will be open from mid-December for the whole winter. The first backcountry dates have been announced - the basic tour takes you to some great terrain and will teach you how to safely make your way out into the backcountry. Snowshoe tours will operate on the weekends (and at other times too if you have a group) and with courses in Minakami and Yuzawa there is plenty of exploring to do.

The instructors are good to go for ski and snowboard lessons. As soon as the snow falls and the resorts open we'll be out there. We regularly go to all resorts in Minakami and all resorts in Yuzawa, as well as Nozawa Onsen. We'll also head further afield if you need an English speaking instructor - we've worked with clients in Shiga Kogen, Kijimadaira and even up in Niseko. Just drop us a line to let us know how we can help.

Backcountry Tours 2012/13

With the first snows of the season dusting the tops of the local peaks this week, our thoughts are turning to winter.

The backcountry guides have put their heads together and come up with the initial schedule for the 2012/13 season. If snow and weather conditions allow the main trips are set for

January 13th - Kagura
February 2nd - Hotaka
February 23rd - Hotaka
March 16th - Kagura

The guides are available for group bookings or for private guiding too, so if those dates don't work, drop us a line and we can see what we can work out. As always there is lots of interest from advanced riders and pro-teams in the steeps at Tenjindaira which is always high up on many hit lists.

Fired up for the Hangi

After tour today we're having a big end-of-season hangi. The stones are heating up in the fire, the pit has been dug and there are baskets of meat and vegetables ready to cook. It's going to be a real feast and there are plenty of folk here hanging out for a good feed... Swing by if you are in the area.

There's some local Minakami boar under all those vegetables

Thank you KGV!

Last week we packed KGV International School from Hong Kong back to the airport after an action-packed, fun-filled week of adventure. It was great to have the students back in Japan and we look forward to seeing them again next year for another autumn school trip in Minakami.

The schedule was packed with hiking, rafting, canyoning, canoeing, a trip to the artisan craft village and plenty of other activities besides.

Great memories, great experiences and the chance to make new friends from all over the world. For a multi-activity, residential school trip Minakami is a fantastic destination.

Winter 2012/13 Openings - GALA Yuzawa

Gala have just finished their Summer Season and right on time have put up their new 2012/13 winter website.

They kick off their winter on Saturday December 22nd

GALA is the easiest place to go for a day on the snow with a bullet train link straight from Tokyo or Ueno into the base building. You can rock up in the clothes you are standing in and rent everything you need for a day in the mountains, enjoy the snow, have an onsen and then hop back on the train home.

It is also a long season with the resort due to be open until Golden Week.

For the Freestylers there is a great terrain park there and on weekends and national holidays from early April they roll out the air bag at the base of a big kicker so you can really fine tune those moves or try that big, new trick you've been thinking over all season.

We'll be running lessons there all season from first lift to last lift. Don't forget the awesome deals that you can get from the View Plaza Travel Agent in the main stations - great packages on bullet train tickets, lift tickets and rentals for a fraction of the normal cost.