2010: Year of the Powder?
Monday, December 28th, 20092 More sleeps until 2010!
We’re having so much fun with all the guests here at The Chalets at Country Resort that it almost makes us wish the year wouldn’t end. But we looked at the forecast and it said two things – more snow and more good times on the way.
Update from “Powder Paradise”
Santa proves guests not all naughty
As Christmas Eve drew to a close there were some worried guests at The Chalets. It seems they were a little worried as to whether Santa could find them under so much snow.Our Resort Manager, Geoffrey Deschamps, reassured worried faithful that Santa would indeed appear again. “We’ve resubmitted the GPS coordinates to the North Pole and updated our website (http://nisekocountryresort.com/information/how-to-find-us.html) to make sure everyone knows how to get to The Chalets… and Santa can find just about anywhere that has good kids.”
As always, Geoffrey was right and we were able to get a few minutes with Santa to share in the joy of the season. He mentioned that he planned to come back for a post-work ski on Boxing Day. Despite the Resort being 100% occupied, Geoffrey said that we would find a way to accommodate him if he needed a place to rest.
Concierge Corner
Last month’s tips from our ever resourceful concierge team received the most comments of any feature we’ve run (better than last year’s interview with Santa). They’re back this month with more tips to make your holiday a great one.
1. Get going with the leg exercises like squats and lunges now. With the snow falling like it has been, people are maximising their hours on the mountain. We’ve seen some pretty sore people on Day 2. (you can check out our special feature on this in Issue 1 on our blog – http://www.blogs.nisekoresortsgroup.com/).
2. If you’re bringing your own skis and board, it’s worth getting it tuned, but ask for the edges not to be too sharp. Chances are you’ve not been on the slopes for a while and it’ll take a couple of days to find your feet again and having sharp, extra responsive edges can actually do more harm than good. After you’ve warmed up, one of the stores here can give your edges the once over to sharpen them up.
3. The restaurant scene is heating up in the Village with a number of new outlets joining our old favourites. Take some time to talk to us about what you like and want to experience while you are here so we can point you in the right direction. We even had a private sushi chef in one of the chalets last week. It was delicious and a great experience for everyone. We love food almost as much as we love powder so challenge us to find something unique to your taste buds.
The Private Kitchen, our on-site restaurant, will be catering a New Year’s Eve dinner and has special menus for many days upcoming. For more information on that, contact the concierge team or stop in.
Until next time.
Looking for a winter break?
We’ve had a record December for bookings and have a good flow for the rest of the year. If you are thinking of a winter break, contact (steve.reck@nisekoresortsgroup.com) immediately for to see if there is availability. There are some open spots in January and we will offer a great deal for newsletter readers to take advantage of. We want everyone to feel the rush of thrashing through the powder so contact him soon so you don’t miss out.
Season Forecast – Snow, Snow and Snow
The forecast for January is much the same as December, vast amounts of beautiful powder for us to appreciate on the Mountain. It’s an exciting time to be in Niseko and we can’t wait to share it with you. If you’ve already been here this year, we hope that you are relishing the memories. If you are coming later in this season, we hope you are enjoying the feeling of anticipation as you read the snow reports. Either way, we want you to share the excitement we have for our little slice of heaven. We didn’t give Niseko the nickname of Powder Paradise, but we’re doing everything we can to make sure the name continues.
Our aim this year is to have even more fun than we did last year and we hope that you share that vision. If there is anything we can do to help, make sure you ask us!
We look forward to seeing you here!
The Team
We are coming to the end of our first winter season in Niseko with guests enjoying the light, dry snow by day and the warm, peaceful nights in their comfortable Chalets. We’ve had a busy season. We almost doubled our number of Chalets for rent and are anticipating a busy Summer building season. There will be more than just building happening this summer. We have had a large number of inquiries about the summer season. As a fours season resort destination, there is plenty to do in Niseko in the summer. Hokkaido itself is the most popular tourist destination for Japanese. They 
The Grand Hotel Annupuri – This mixed onsen offers a therapeutic outdoor pool setting overlooking the tranquil, snow-covered surrounds. It’s particularly enjoyable after a hard day of skiing with friends at the nearby slopes of Annupuri and Moiwa. The onsen complex also has 2 men’s indoor pools and 5 pools for women to choose from (including a private outdoor pool for the ladies).
ng the festival, hundreds of snow and ice sculptures are created in three areas of Sapporo – Odori Koen, Satorando/Satoland and Susukino. They are lit up by a multitude of lights and accompanied by traditional shows and songs as well as contemporary events such as ski and snowboard jumping competitions. The magnitude of the festival is aided by the fact that the Japanese military builds most of the sculptures, some of which reach the height of 20 meters. So when you are planning your next winter visit to Niseko, be sure to think about squeezing in a trip to the festival. We highly recommend it for kids and adults alike. As always, you can contact Hayley (
