Touring Japan in a camper van- what resorts to hit?!

I dont know by that sounds sick. Can I come?

gnar_whalI dont know by that sounds sick. Can I come?

Sure, get everything setup and maybe we can get you hooked up with us.

How much money are you willing to spend on travel?

Gas + Toll roads take a good amount of $ to get around the country. Basically every main road in Japan is a toll road and camper vans take a slightly bigger fee. However, if you're with a group of people, it should be manageable...but something to be aware of.

Also, why limit yourself to resorts? Most of any Japow section is on areas right off the side of the road....

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Yeah, we are willing to do it, just because it makes more sense for getting around easier.

Also, why limit yourself to resorts? Most of any Japow section is on areas right off the side of the road....

The only reason that we limit ourselves to resorts is because we don't have touring gear and all that. I'm open to any solutions!

GoodasGoldSo far I got Hakuba as a big destination-

Hakuba is great, you'll love it. Went there last January and going back this coming one. I can only speak to Hakuba as I haven't been anywere else.

Cortina is great for storm days. It has a sidecountry gate the requires no hiking and then you can take the cat track back around to the front side. However, it faces SE, so hit it before the sun gets to it.

The Goryu sidecountry is a land of trees, spines, ribs and ridges. You can boot 10 - 60 minutes from the top of the lift to get to the goods there. It faces NE and W, so you have a little more time to before the sun gets it. You can then ski back to the base after the runs down the E side. I think single tickets to the top cost about $10.

Happo is all about skiing down these long ridges. It faces E and W. Big alpine terrain that feels the wind.

Check out my Japanuary story for some stoke!

Mike.Records Check out my Japanuary story for some stoke!

Wow, that looks incredible!

Mike.RecordsHakuba is great, you'll love it. Went there last January and going back this coming one. I can only speak to Hakuba as I haven't been anywere else.

Cortina is great for storm days. It has a sidecountry gate the requires no hiking and then you can take the cat track back around to the front side. However, it faces SE, so hit it before the sun gets to it.

The Goryu sidecountry is a land of trees, spines, ribs and ridges. You can boot 10 - 60 minutes from the top of the lift to get to the goods there. It faces NE and W, so you have a little more time to before the sun gets it. You can then ski back to the base after the runs down the E side. I think single tickets to the top cost about $10.

Happo is all about skiing down these long ridges. It faces E and W. Big alpine terrain that feels the wind.

Awesome, thanks for this- just what I was looking for! Easy sidecountry access is what we are looking for!

damn sounds sick g! take some videos or pictures of the trip
I heard they got some dope powder in the northern part so cant hurt to look there

jungalexandadamn sounds sick g! take some videos or pictures of the trip
I heard they got some dope powder in the northern part so cant hurt to look there

yeah hakuba is up north, that's where I'm thinking....we are there for 10 days, so it's going to be badass. Definitely going to be taking pictures.

Hey man that's really cool you guys will love Japan and I hope you get some good snow.

With that said I'm guessing you don't have much for backcountry experience and the fact that you're talking about "easy sidecountry" is very worrying. Lots of people go to Hakuba every year without much Avalanche knowledge, and for most it works out. However, if you time it right, like going out after a major wind event and just doing "sidecountry", you could find yourself in a very bad situation really quickly. Just because other people are doing it doesn't mean it is a good idea. Please be humble in your decision making. A lot of us have put very hard time in for opening Japanese to the idea of skiing backcountry/sidecountry and everyone who goes out there and gets caught in a slide is a step back.

MitchPeeHey man that's really cool you guys will love Japan and I hope you get some good snow.

With that said I'm guessing you don't have much for backcountry experience and the fact that you're talking about "easy sidecountry" is very worrying. Lots of people go to Hakuba every year without much Avalanche knowledge, and for most it works out. However, if you time it right, like going out after a major wind event and just doing "sidecountry", you could find yourself in a very bad situation really quickly. Just because other people are doing it doesn't mean it is a good idea. Please be humble in your decision making. A lot of us have put very hard time in for opening Japanese to the idea of skiing backcountry/sidecountry and everyone who goes out there and gets caught in a slide is a step back.

Thanks for the good words. I think more of what I was going at was off piste stuff that is around the resort- best comparison would be Solitude in Utah- they have some cool terrain, that is controlled- but also very fun. We will definitely be humble and smart in decision making, I want to come home too!