by Sandy Kiyomura
Did you know that you could be skiing in Japan next year with the Far West Ski Association? Nisei Ski Club is a member of BAC, the Bay Area Council of Ski clubs. BAC in turn is a member of Far West. Each year, Far West puts together an international ski trip. Several NSC members have skied in Europe with Far West. These trips usually include one or two weeks of skiing and an optional week of touring the country. In 2019 the pre-trip ski week is at Niseko in Hokkaido, Japan, and the basic ski week is in Hakuba/Nagano where Jonny Moseley skied in the 1998 Olympics and performed his famous Iron Cross aerobatic trick. The optional post-trip week will include a tour of Kanazawa, Kyoto and Tokyo. Far West allows the flexibility to join the basic ski week and either or both of the optional weeks.
Niseko is a town on Japan’s northern Hokkaido Island, near the dormant volcano of Mt. Yotei. Major ski centers like Niseko Mt. Resort and Grand Hirafu occupy the slopes of Mt. Niseko-Annupuri. The surrounding mountains are dotted with numerous hot spring resorts, known as onsen. The Shiribetsu River is known for its whitewater rapids. The area also features several golf courses against a backdrop of snowcapped peaks.
Hakuba Happoone Winter Resort is a ski resort located on Mount Karamatsu in Hakuba, Japan. For the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, it hosted the alpine skiing downhill, super giant slalom, and combined slalom events. Happoone receives an average snowfall of 11 meters (36 feet) per season!
Several NSC members are going on this trip with me, including our President Armand. If you have any questions about the trip, feel free to contact Armand at president@niseiskiclub.org or visit the Far West website.
