This is the third edition of our reader reports, which was started with the belief that what our users have experienced themselves will be valuable information for others. YOSHI, who has been skiing for 20 years and has been in the backcountry for 7 seasons, will report on his trip to Otaru, where he participated in the Niseko Mecca Otaru Tour in February during the mid-winter season.
Otaru as a base for snow trips
If you were to go on a snow trip for 4 days aiming for powder, where would you go? I want to enjoy both local towns and mountains, so I choose a town that is closer to the mountains rather than a mountain, and use that as a base for skiing in the surrounding mountains. The fun part of skiing based in a town near the mountains is that you get to experience the whole area. Interacting with local people, the charm of food, and the different cultures of each city. Just having this on your snow trip will greatly improve the quality.
The destination we chose this time was Otaru, famous for its canals and music boxes. It is very easy to access from New Chitose Airport, taking about 1 hour and 20 minutes. There is no problem with early arrivals from Tokyo as there are evening or night departures from Haneda.
The most attractive feature of Otaru is the blessed environment of the surrounding mountains. You can get to the Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway within just 10 minutes by car, and from Kiroro Resort to Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort within 60 minutes. Depending on the daily weather and snowfall conditions, you can choose from a wide variety of skiing locations. Next to these nearby ski resorts, there are attractive backcountry fields, including Mt. Yoichi.
And the food is also extremely good! Otaru is famous for its seafood bowls and sushi, and seafood lovers will love this place, where you can fully enjoy fresh seafood. Many restaurants cater to tourists, so if you know in advance which restaurants are well-known and loved by locals, you'll be able to enjoy your evening even more. In this way, I felt deeply that Otaru, which has everything you need as a base for a snow trip, is a city that would be a waste not to use as your base.
NisekoMecca's Otaru Tour
This time, while staying in Otaru, I had the opportunity to participate in Niseko Mecca's Otaru tour, which I had wanted to do for a while. As the name suggests, Niseko Mecca is based in Niseko, but it also provides guidance services throughout Hokkaido. Tours are held in places where there is good snow at that time of year, such as Asahikawa in December, the Otaru area in February, and guided tours of Mt. Furano and Mt. Tokachi in March.
For the Otaru tour, participants stay in Otaru city or a place where they can meet by car, and either meet there or be picked up by a guide. The big advantage of this is that even participants like me who come from Honshu and don't have a car can easily use it. This tour was also crowded with many repeat visitors from Honshu.
My husband and I have been working with Niseko Mecca's main guide, Hisataka Tanaka (also known as Tanner), since I just started backcountry biking and was barely even able to do kick turns. We've been working together for seven years now, so it's great that we're able to improve our technical skills little by little each time we go on tour.
Just slip! ｜Day1
February of the 2023-24 season was a difficult month. A low-pressure system comes along the south coast, followed by repeated heavy snowfall. It had been raining in Otaru since February 22nd until a few days ago, but it started snowing heavily from this day!
In such a situation, the first day of the tour started from the mellow tree area. Anyway, there was a lot of light powder snow piled up on the ice slope where it had rained, and if you poked it with a ski pole, you would hit a layer of ice all at once, so on this day, we took it easy in the Satoyama backcountry. But that's Guide Tanner! I climbed back up hard and slipped a lot.
After climbing the mellow line over and over again and sliding through the powder with no resistance at all, it was around noon. It seems like the fresh snow and the base are gradually combining, and the crunching sound after hitting the stock is gone. The last run was a little steeper and skied through deep powder. It was a day full of learning as we experienced the difference in sensation as the fresh snow combined with the base throughout the day.
Relaxing space Otaru OMO5 by Hoshino Resorts
Actually, this is my first time staying in Otaru. I would like to thank OMO5 Otaru by Hoshino Resorts, a member of the Hoshino Resorts chain, which I have always been indebted to in Asahikawa. The only reason I chose it is because the facilities are skier-friendly and the beds are just right so I can sleep well.
When I actually arrived at OMO5 Otaru by Hoshino Resorts, I found that it was a wonderful hotel that was a fusion of old stately architecture and new hotel architecture, with a nice mix of a slightly retro feel and a smart hotel. Of course, there is also a board storage area, and we also found Asahikawa's familiar WAX Bar there!
At this WAX Bar, you can add hot wax depending on the conditions the next day, so it's a great environment for skiers. I thought it would be a great base for long-term skiing in the surrounding mountains.
Fantastic powder condition! ｜Day 2
From the second day of the tour onwards, we will head to the mountain area from Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort! It continued to snow until midnight, which made the forest area beautiful. Trees covered in snow are beautiful in themselves, and when the sun shines on them, it creates an indescribably fantastical atmosphere. I think this is a special time that only people who come to the mountains in winter can feel.
The snow had settled considerably compared to the first day, and the conditions had changed significantly. There was no feeling of bottoming out, and the powder conditions were completely different from yesterday. Conditions have changed to allow the board to run more easily. As a Tokyo resident, it was a truly lucky experience that through this tour, I was able to experience everything from freshly fallen powder to conditions that were well past their expiration date.
Although we did not go to Mt. Yoichi on this tour, we were completely fascinated by the ability of Otaru to access so many fields within an hour from Otaru city. I want to come again next season! And with the location of Otaru having such good conditions, I thought it would be nice to ski for a long time based in Otaru next season, and I was thinking, ``Will I become an Otaru citizen?''
The fun never stops in Otaru even at night.
When it comes to snow trips, the most fun part is spending a little time, settling down, and skiing down mountains in remote areas, but the other fun part is enjoying the food of the place you're staying in and
spending time with the locals. Sho.
Otaru City is a city with both the ocean and mountains, with Otaru Bay spreading out in front of you and the ocean visible from the mountains. When we asked our tail guide Mackenzie, who always dropped us off and picked us up, he told us that there are many leading conveyor belt sushi restaurants, and everyone eats Otaru's seafood at their favorite restaurants. The key point is that there are many types of sushi toppings that you can't find in Tokyo, so be sure to give them a try.
First, let's go to Sushidokoro Ichi, which is located near OMO5 Otaru by Hoshino Resorts. This is sushi that doesn't come around, but at about 5,000 yen per person, it's not that expensive at a tourist spot! It was quite crowded with locals, and it was a restaurant where you could enjoy sushi that was unique to Otaru. The highlight is the herring sushi in the photo, it's fatty and super delicious! The second night passed and I could only say that it was delicious.
On the last day, I went to "YUKIAKARI", where I had also made a reservation in advance. This place is run by a master who moved from Tokyo, and as I was drinking at the bar counter, I saw people who were promoting the move to Otaru, and people who were working between Hokkaido and Tokyo. The store is like a crossroads for people to come and go.
Together with the person sitting next to me, I received a lot of information that only those who actually live in Otaru can understand, such as the charms of living in Otaru and the challenges that come with living in Otaru.
I begin One of the major issues facing Otaru is that it is too much of a tourist destination, and there are very few restaurants where so-called locals can eat and drink.
The owner of YUKIAKARI wants to do something about this
For example, wine bars in Otaru usually sell wine from surrounding wineries for tourists, but since locals want to drink wine from a wider range of countries, they have developed wine bars that
sell wine from all over the world. The consideration attracted local people. I think encountering these kinds of shops is another charm of a snow trip.
3 days immersed in the charm of skiing based in Otaru
Over the three days, I learned a lot about the appeal of skiing based in Otaru, how the current snow quality in Hokkaido changes, and my desire to ski based in Otaru grew stronger. I think this is because the presence of guides who are passionate about skiing on good snow, guests who sympathize with their style, and the essence of travel are added to that, and the richness of the feeling increases many times.
Next season, why not take the time to set up a base with your trusted guide, settle down, and enjoy the local snow, people, and food?
REPORT :YOSHI (STEEP reader reporter)
Backcountry is in its 7th season. A skier and diver who usually works in marketing in Tokyo and travels between 3,000m above sea level and 30m deep. At first, I was just interested in skiing powder, but I became captivated by the mountain views and atmosphere I saw while hiking, and by traveling to local mountains, so I got more into it and seriously decided to set up a second base in the local area. thinking.
SPECIAL THANKS
Guide: Niseko Makenzie Representative: Hisataka Tanaka
Tail Guide: Niseko Makenzie SUP Representative: Kenji Yamakita