HAPPO ONE
Ski & Snowboard Resort Review
Happo One , HAKUBA is one of Japan’s top ski and snowboard resorts. One of eight resorts in the picturesque Hakuba Valley, Happo One is most famous for hosting the men’s downhill skiing and slalom events in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.
Relatively undiscovered by the western ski and snowboard travel markets, Happo One has a good record of deep, light, powder snow and holds some of Japans best terrain.
Happo One Skiing and Snowboarding Terrain
The terrain at Happo One caters mainly to advanced and intermediate skiers and snowboarders with wide open powder fields and long groomed trails all set amongst stunning alpine views.
On fresh powder days Happo One doesn't seem to suffer from the mad rush for first tracks unlike many ski and snowboard resorts around the world. Early risers on will be rewarded with the pick of the powder stashes and you can almost have the terrain to yourself for the early part of the morning.
Advanced Skiing and Snowboarding
The upper areas of Happo One consist of wide open powder fields of varying difficulty. From here descents such as the Kurobishi Olympic Downhill run will take you down the same path as past Olympic champions however rather than negotiating tight technical gates at high speeds you are more likely to be confronted with knee deep light powder snow.
For extra powder head to Reisen Grat and head through the powder towards Kurobishi being careful not to go too far left as there is a dangerous drop over a cliff band.
On the lower mountain turn left at the top of the Adam Gondola and head towards the Champion trail making your way down to Hakuba Kokusai for good steep runs.
If there has been a big snowfall often the areas around Reisen Grat and Kurobishi will be closed early in the morning while the ski patrol slip for avalanches so make your way to Sky Line which offers some fun intermediate level powder and enables you to keep an eye on the upper mountain for when it opens.
Also worth a visit are the interconnected resorts of Hakuba 47 & Goryu Toomi, about ten minutes drive away, for the Valleys best mogul terrain and fantastic halfpipe and terrain park facilities.
Intermediate Skiing and Snowboarding
The upper areas of the mountain lead down into finger like trails of varying difficulty. Most of these trails are wide and tree lined winding their way towards the lower sections of the mountain.
For intermediates looking for fresh powder the terrain around the Sky Line trail offers some good challenging skiing and snowboarding especially following the chairlift line back down. The fastest way to access this is from the Saka Area.
For a really long run catch the Adam Gondola to the top then take Reisen Slalom trail all the way back to the base of the gondola, the mid section has some advanced terrain to negotiate but nothing that should trouble a confident intermediate.
Beginner Skiing and Snowboarding
The main beginner trails are on the lower section of the mountain. It is possible for beginners to ski or snowboard down from the top of the Adam Gondola, turn left to the Panarama trail for gentle linked winding trails leading all the way down to the Saka Area.
If you still have plenty of energy after this long run the Saka Area has a number of smaller lifts to play on.
Other Activities at Happo One
The Hakuba Valley has lots of great fun activities available; snow rafting, hot air ballooning, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, mountain biking and trekking tours.
After skiing or snowboarding all day make sure you go to an onsen, it is a hot spring usually located outdoors. Nothing will sooth your aching muscles better than an onsen! Just be warned that you are not allowed to wear bathers and the sexes are also normally separated. Onsens are scattered throughout the Hakuba Valley check with your hotel for the nearest one.
Happo One Shopping
Happo One has a couple of ski and snowboard equipment and rental shops, souvenir and gift stores.
The main bulk of shops are in the town of Hakuba just five minutes down the road, they have well stocked supermarkets, large outdoor sports stores, a laundry mat and the post office which has an international ATM accepting most foreign credit and debit cards.
Happo One Restaurants
A good selection of restaurants and bars line the narrow streets in the Village of Happo One. Japanese restaurants serve regional dishes focusing on local mountain vegetables, noodle dishes and rahmen.
The Korean BBQ restaurant is very popular, you cook your own meat over hot coals at your table; great fun with a group of friends. There are also Italian, Mexican and Chinese restaurants.
Happo One Nightlife
At first glance the Happo One and Hakuba nightlife appears not as lively as you may find in other ski and snowboard resorts worldwide; however a little exploring will reveal small cosy bars, a beer hall, karaoke bars and a nightclub.
More About Happo One
Your Happo One Ski & Snowboard Resort Reviews
Danielle Anderson, Melbourne. Feb 2006 I've been to Niseko and didn't think that any other Japanese resort could top it but I was wrong.....Happo One is awesome. We arrived on a Sunday and it started snowing and it didn't stop until the following Saturday. We had deep fresh dry powder everyday along with cold temperatures and not a lot of crowds. Above the tree line at the top of the gondola is just open powder fields, and in the tree line you can just go nuts in and out of the trees. There were so few people on the mountain that we would have made fresh tracks for at least 3/4 of each day. Another great thing about Happo One is it's really easy to get to from Tokyo, you can either catch one train or catch a bus we caught the train, it took about 4 hours. There were few Westerners around, (which makes a nice break from Niseko!) and the Japanese hospitality is wonderful. Our hotel could not do enough for us. And don't get me started on the food, just sensational!
Matthew Boss, Japan. Feb 2006 I'm an American living in Tokyo for work and I go to Happo regularly, I catch the bullet train there on a Friday then back on Monday mornings, it's so easy and I know I will always have lots of the white fluffy stuff waiting for me to rip it up!
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Statistics |
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Elevation |
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Average
Snowfall |
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10
meters |
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Lifts |
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32 |
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Trails |
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Terrain
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Halfpipe |
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1 |
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Terrain
Park |
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no |
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Resort
Website |
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