Hokkaido 105 - Niseko Base Snowsports @ Hirafu • Sassy Urbanite's Diary

We took the whole day ski lessons with Niseko Base Snowsports at Upper Hirafu bright and early on the 2nd day we were in Niseko. The lesson started at 10.30am until 03.30pm with an hour lunch break in between for ¥11,000 (US$107) per adult. It was very expensive I wished I could splurge on the private 1-on-1 whole day lesson for ¥50,000 (US$485) but that was way beyond my budget. was My Group Lesson started with 6 people in the group with a New Zealander instructor. We started off at the easy family slop and after lunch, we were taken to the more challenging slopes on the other sides of the mountains. I struggled quite a fair bit on the steeper slopes in the afternoon and suffered a little ski sickness in whiteout moments where my brain couldn’t determine orientation properly. It was quite a scary experience as I was the last one falling behind in the group. Luckily I managed to fight through it and caught up with my group members. No one says skiing is an easy sport, but with the right instructors and more practices, one could improve skills over time. I was hoping to achieve that in Niseko since my skiing skills are still pretty raw, having to pick it up when I was working in China for 2 years (my only 2 full winters in my life), this 1st lesson in Niseko was a good follow up from my previous warm up in night skiing the evening before.

Overall it was a good experience with Niseko Base Snowsports, although the instructor did scold me for not being able to pull myself up when I fell down on the slope (I was way too exhausted). The rentals of equipment (price from ¥4,500 per set per day) are also provided at the Niseko Base Snowsports outlet next to the Family Chairlift, making it an one-stop center for all your ski needs. I particular love the night skiing when it was less crowded. Be ready to spend about ¥22,900 (US$222) a day per adult for a full day ski rental, group lesson and lift pass.

I’d never seen so much snow in my life before in consecutive days. It was snowing non-stop when I was in Niseko for 6 days and I was absolutely delighted to be around so much snow! I’d highly recommend a ski holiday in Niseko, it’s a really magical place to experience a winter wonderland!