master plans

ANYONE with an interest in Niseko’s future is urged to lend their support by signing a petition to ensure the Hirafu main street upgrade goes ahead as planned.

– Signatures can be made online at www.petition.fm/petitions/niseko

NISEKO United is in need of a ‘mountain master plan’ to reach its full potential, according to a world-renowned, Whistler-based mountain resort planner.

Paul Mathews is founder and president of Ecosign, which since 1975 has directed the planning and design of more than 350 major mountain resort projects in over 32 countries,

Riccardo Tossani Architecture has been commissioned to initiate a Master Plan study with a focus on the main street in Hirafu.

Hirafu-Zaka Street, from the Welcome Center to the Downtown Café, is Hirafu's principal gateway to the mountain and to many people the first impression of the resort.

“We have been

Interview by Lorne Calhoun

Architect Riccardo Tossani has a broad education in architectural design from schools in the United States, Italy and Australia, and two decades of international design and design management experience. Powderlife had a chance to catch up with him and get his thoughts on the Escarpment Estate , the future

THE owner of the Moiwa Ski Resort, just beyond Niseko Annupuri, filed for bankruptcy protection last week with a debt of ¥94.9 billion ($US890 million).

Construction company Zephyr Co bought Moiwa Ski Resort last year with plans to turn it into a fully master-planned resort.

Over winter Zephyr also announced plans to build a large-scale