A Day of Many Seasons
One of the things that has been a little difficult to get used to here in Niseko has been the unpredictability of the weather. One minute it can be overcast and blizzardy and then ten minutes later the sun can break through to create a beautiful patch of blue sky. It is about this point that you decide to leave the hot chocolate and head onto the slopes. Of course, by the time your skis are back on you could easily find yourself in a white-out. This was the story of today. And you know what … that’s what makes this place fantastic. You don’t travel to Japan to get perfect blues skies all day but rather for some harsher conditions and incredible snow … and that is what we are getting.
The lift pass we have covers four parts of the mountain and previously the boys had stuck pretty close to home. Today, however, saw most of the boys head to Niseko Village which is a third section of the mountain. If you have seen photos of Niseko you may well have seen the Hilton Hotel at the base of the mountain. This is where we ventured to today. While I would like to think that the reason for heading to this part of the mountain was simply because the boys wanted some variety, I suspect that the 750 yen (A$9) all you can eat buffet at the Hilton may also have been a contributing factor. I don’t think that the Hilton knew what hit them!
Today was what we referred to as the ‘hump’ day. That is, we have had 3 days of skiing before today and have three after today. It was obvious today that the boys were starting to feel the fatigue that naturally comes with skiing flat out for four days straight. As a result none of the boys headed out for night skiing but rather chose the more relaxing option of a dinner in the village. The boys headed to their own choice of restaurant with many finding themselves at the local Teppanyaki.
After dinner some of the boys headed down the road for a swim, however many of them enjoyed a quiet night at the lodge. Although the name checks are important, it was quite nice to have a few boys miss the evening name check for a good reason … when we chased them up, they were found sound asleep in their rooms. A sure sign that they are making the most of their time here.
Photo 1: Clear one moment…
Photo 2: Snowed in the next.
Photo 3: The Hilton Hotel at the bottom of Niseko Village Resort – the home of the cheap but high quality all you can eat – boys heaven.
