Kitzbühel, Austria Report: Monday Skiing Niseko, Tuesday Skiing in Austria Report from January 2, 2024 Resort Overview Kitzbühel is a world renowned Austrian ski resort located about a two hour train ride from the Munich Airport. Along with Niseko, it is part of the IKON pass giving American skiers an incentive to visit. The town has many luxury storefronts much like Aspen. It’s not uncommon to see a Louis Vuitton […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 4, 2024 0 Comments
Niseko, Japan, Backcountry Report: Sunny Skies and Soft Snow Report from January 1, 2024 What better way to start 2024 than by breaking out the skins and looking for some fresh snow. Driving to the backside of Mt. Niseko-Annupuri, there was noticeable snow accumulation on the parked cars. The sun was shining which made for scenic views. I parked and headed up the skin track passing tons of Sassa […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 3, 2024 0 Comments
Niseko Hanazono, Japan, Report: Light Snow Overnight, Holiday Crowds Arrive Report from December 31, 2023 I looked out my window this morning to finally see snow coming down. Typically a usual sight in Niseko, but any trace has been absent the past few days. Being New Year’s Eve, the crowds came. Lines aren’t often found in Japan, but since Niseko is rated as the #1 resort in the country, people […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | December 31, 2023 0 Comments
Niseko, Japan, Report: Softer Snow with More on the Way Report from December 30, 2023 Drove over to Niseko Grand Hirafu this morning. The snow was better than at Annupuri due to having less sun exposure. Niseko United is the umbrella that combines four ski resorts which are inter-connected by lifts and all available on the IKON pass. From left to right in the above trail map are Annupuri, Niseko […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | December 31, 2023 0 Comments
Niseko, Japan Report: More Snow than Hakuba, Still a Few Lifts yet to Open Report from December 29, 2023 I flew from Tokyo to Sapporo last night. Tokyo is located on the main island of Honshu, while Sapporo is located on a smaller island in the north called Hokkaido. I rented a car at Sapporo and drove the roughly two hours from Chitose airport to Niseko. There was noticeably much more snow on Hokkaido […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | December 30, 2023 0 Comments
Setsu Niseko at Niseko United Resort, Japan, Wins 2023 Best New Hotel Award The newly built Setsu Niseko at Niseko United Resort in Japan has won the 2023 award for Best New Ski Hotel at the World Ski Awards. The World Ski Awards were launched in 2013 by the brains behind the World Travel Awards. World Ski Awards uses a voting system with votes sourced from ski tourism industry professionals, travel buyers, tour operators, […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | November 21, 2023 0 Comments
[FOR SALE] $18 Million Newly Built Luxury Boutique Hotel in Niseko, Japan A newly-built boutique hotel is on the market in Japan’s most popular ski resort Niseko. The luxury hotel features 14 luxury condominiums and is a beautifully designed sanctuary in the middle of Hirafu, the bustling ski village at the foot of Niseko’s ski area. Niseko used to be four separate ski areas united under the ‘Niseko United’ umbrella. The other […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 3, 2023 0 Comments
Back Online: Niseko United Resort, Japan, Plans to Reopen to International Tourism for Upcoming 2022-23 Season After researching this place, I just may have to reconsider my plans for the upcoming season. Now, after three years of near-empty crowds and isolation from international tourism, Japan’s #1 snow mountain, Niseko United Ski Resort (NUSR) is finally planning to reopen for the upcoming 2022-23 season. With a tentative date scheduled for December 2, 2022, and lasting until May […] Industry News Ryan Kime | June 23, 2022 0 Comments