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Happo One

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Elevations:

Top:
 1831 meters
 6008 feet
Base:
 760 meters
 2494 feet
Vertical:
 1071 meters
 3514 feet

Number of Lifts:

34 lifts:
  1 gondola(s)
  3 quad chair(s)
  4 triple chair(s)
  26 double chair(s)

Contact details:

Ph: +81 261 72 3066
Website: Click here

 

Resort Rundown

Happo-one is the king of the Hakuba Valley. It is a big mountain by both Japanese and world standards. Over a kilometre of vertical, a fancy gondola, 3 high speed quads and 30 other lifts across some 175 hectares of skiable terrain. Following the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics the facilities at Happo-one received a substantial upgrade including a new base lodge. The fact that Happo-one hosted the men's Olympic Downhill in 1998 provides some indication of the gradient and length of the terrain. It also has one of the highest lifted points in the Hakuba Valley at 1,831 m (6,042 ft).

Recently Happo-one was completely open to snowboarders.  This offers an immense amount of vertical and some very challenging terrain.  Probably some the best high alpine snowboarding in Japan can be found at Happo-one.

The only major draw back of Happo  are the crowds.  As it is extremely popular among the Japanese it can get very crowded. It is the cool and hip place for the younger generation Japanese to hang out.

Terrain

Freeriding:

Before you keep reading, you must remember one critical point. Riding off piste at Happo One is strictly illegal and if you are caught off the marked trails, say in the trees, you will loose you pass and may be taken by the police. Having said this, the best riding at Happo One is in the trees so you will have to make your own risk assessment about deciding where to ride.

Although all of Happo-one isn't open to snowboarders, the terrain that is available is still pretty amazing. After all, 80% of its runs are for intermediate/advanced riders. If you want beginner terrain you're best off heading to Hakuba Highlands or Iwatake. Unlike many other Japanese resorts Happo-one has some interesting natural obstacles. There are small drops, cliff bands and cornices. There are even some small gullies and log slides through the trees. The best thing about the natural terrain at Happo-one is that it is located just off the ski runs so you pretty much have it all to yourself since the Japanese prefer to stick to the groomed.

The best freeriding terrain that is accessible to snowboarders is located off the Sakakitaone Quad Chair. An excellent tree run is located just to skier left of the Sakakitaone Quad. This tree run has a nice gully, a log slide and even a good sized cornice. Alternatively head far over to skier's right of the Sakakitaone Quad follow the tree run down here. Just be aware there are some avalanche barriers along this run.

Powder turns: A little known tree run is located on the backside of Happo-one. Take the Sakakitaone quad and traverse hard under the Kitane Triple Chair until you reach the edge of the ski run then simply drop into the trees. This run is seldom tracked since there is a lengthy traverse out. However it is well worth it since there is some nice rolling terrain. You will need to traverse hard right when you near the bottom of the run. Another good alternative is to drop directly off the base of the Kitane Triple, into the trees.

Early Morning: As snowboarders can not ride the top portions of Happo-one there is not really any good early morning runs as most of the lower parts of the mountain are in the shade.

Bad Weather: The trees around the Sakakitaone Quad provide excellent shelter from the weather

Avoiding crowds: Happo becomes very crowded on weekends, particularly the Adam Gondola. Further, as Happo has so many lifts servicing the same runs the problem is further compounded. Happo is not really a place you want to visit on a weekend. You would be better off getting drunk in a Japanese Karaoke Bar.

Beginners: The Sakibana slope has several good, short beginner runs.

Freestyle Terrain:

There is a halfpipe and a decented sized terrain park at Happo One. The terrain park has a good array of different-sized kickers. There are also several rails including a large 40-foot rail.

The halfpipe is long at nearly 100 metres and it's height is somewhere between a standard pipe (12-feet) and a super-pipe (16-feet). It is maintained regularly so is generally in good condition.

Snow and Weather Conditions in Hakuba

Siberian storms roll in off the Sea of Japan bring consistent snowfalls to the Hakuba region. Although the quantities of snow are not as large as in Hokkaido, blue sky days occur more often in Hakuba. The climate is generally temperate with few extreme days during the season unlike what can be experienced in Hokkaido.

Accommodation

The best place to stay when visiting this Title is in the town of Hakuba rather than one of villages below the resort. This is because Hakuba has all the conveniences of a modern Title town. Supermarkets, convenience stores, fast food outlets, restaurants and plenty of accommodation.

Accommodation options include:

THE LAB

The Lab is a large ski lodge and is located within 500m of the Happo-One lifts. The lodge includes a big communal living area, fully stocked and serviced bar, a restaurant serving great value meals, Japanese style onsen bathing, a large sundeck, and a separate TV and games room (complete with Nintendo Wii). All this is located over three levels plus a basement. The rooms are all western style, and range from 2-5 person share, and hot breakfasts are included. For more information on The Lab and to make bookings see: www.thelabhakuba.com or call Liquid Snow Tours on +61 (0)3 9017 1142.

Snowbeds Hostel:
Without a doubt, the best place to stay in Hakuba is Snowbeds. Located in the suburb of Echoland, it is a very comfortable lodge with bunk style bedding. Even more importantly, the owners, Mitch and Yoshi speak both English and Japanese and have a wealth of knowledge on the Hakuba region. Snowbeds can be reached on 81-904-867-2161 or 81-261-72-5242.

Hotel Taigakukan

The Hotel Taigakukan is a very well kept Japanese Pension located 5 minutes walk from the Happo One lifts. The food is exceptional. They have both Japanesed-style and western-style rooms. There is both and indoor and outdoor onsen - the perfect way to relax after a hard day's riding. Web: www.taigakukan.com

Getting There

Hakuba is located about 450 km (281 mi)to the west of Tokyo. As with most Japanese resorts it can be reached by train, bus or car. Of course, the quickest and most convenient route is by train.

By Train: The train to catch is the Super Azusa express from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. It goes direct to Hakuba with limited stops and takes about 3.5 hours. Alternatively it is possible to get a bullet train to Nagano which takes about 1.5 hours. From Nagano there are buses that leave for Hakuba and take about one hour.

By Car: From Tokyo take the Chuo Expressway to Toyoshina then go north on Route 148 to Hakuba. Just be aware that there will be a substantial amount of tolls to be paid. The time it takes will depend on the traffic when you are leaving Tokyo

By Bus: Express buses leave from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo and take about 5 hours to reach Hakuba.

By Air: Most major airlines fly into Narita, which is the major airport about 1.5 hours out of Tokyo.

Visit www.ski-resorts-japan.com/planning-travel for more information on getting to the region.

With more than 4 years booking Hakuba Ski Packages, Liquid Snow Tours can help by offering advice from our collective experience with the region, and competitive prices due the volume we send over. Visit www.ski-hakuba-japan.com for more information, or call +61 (0)3 9017 1142.

It is highly recommended that you use a travel agent that specialises in Japanese Travel. Snowave Snowboard Travel Company is a reputable travel agent that specialises in snowboarding. They offer both guided and unguided package tours to Hokkaido and other Japanese resorts. They can be reached on Ph: +61-2-9977-7488 or check out their website at www.snowave.com .

Last updated on 19 June 2009.

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Happo One

Date	Name	Comments
04 Apr 2006	TJ	The off piste comments are no longer relevant for Happo. All the tree areas are open except for the large south face in the middle of the resort looking up from the gondola top station, which is an avalanche area. Although you mention that Happo is fully open to snowboarders there is mention twice of it not. Cheers TJ PS great book

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