SKI towns are frantic places for both visitors and locals. Taking a relaxing beach holiday to get over the exhaustion of a skiing holiday would be ideal. Heading for somewhere warm to soak up some Vitamin D is exactly what many locals do after the season. And whilst many who live here have already started to plan and ponder what they want to do after the season, there’s still a lot more of Niseko’s winter to enjoy.
March is probably one of the most idyllic times to be in Niseko. It’s a little warmer, there’s descent powder snow and hardly any lifts lines; it’s when everyone takes a breather and uses the extra time to spend longer days on the mountain and perhaps even climb Mount Yotei.
The lifts in Niseko are usually open until sometime in May, but if you’re a real diehard skier or snowboarder you may want to meet some others at Gassan (about 620km south of Niseko) – our travel destination for this issue (p. 57). As Niseko closes, Gassan will open up its lifts for the first time for its unusual April–July season.
Our feature story this issue is on Gentem rider ‘Sheesa’. A well-respected member of Niseko’s snowboarding community and with a Gentem board named after her, ‘Sheesa’ will probably head to Alaska for some spring riding. She is incredibly passionate about her sport and uses her time in winter to teach others about carving and enjoying Niseko’s powder snow.
Well, sadly, this is goodbye from Powderlife for this season. For us, it’s gone too quickly, but we have March to enjoy the uncrowded mountain and great weather. We hope you have enjoyed our updates this season.
Lizzy Hoo, Powderlife, Managing Editor, email [email protected]
Photo by Glen Claydon