Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
Welcome!
It’s official, there’s snow on Mt. Youtei (hatsu yuki = first snow) and that can only mean one thing – the winter season is on the way. While the official season doesn’t start until next month, our thougths are racing in anticipaton of all the good times to be had here at The Chalets at Country Resort.
Update from “Powder Paradise”
We’re Growing in Many Ways
This fall has once again seen activity bubble up in our part of Country Resort. There are 3 new chalets under construction as well as our long awaited restaurant. The team from Niseko RDC have been out in force to help us complete the project on time and word is that things are flowing smoothly.
We’ve also completed hiring our expanded ground staff for the year. With all the new chalets from last year and this year, we know that we have to expand our service team to deliver the personal service that you have come to expect. This year we’ve gone with the credo of “many hands make light the work” and have doubled our staffing. You’ll meet most of them in the next edition of this newsletter and they look forward to meeting you on your next visit to “Powder Paradise”.
Summer’s over…bring on the snow
We had a great summer here at The Chalets. For those of you who didn’t join us, you missed out on the fun. Along with landscaping our little village, we found some great spots to fish, cycled like crazy on the many different nearby roads and played golf on the courses that seem like they are in our backyard. Even though we were doing some construction, we managed a record summer for guests to The Chalets and certainly proved that Niseko is an “all seasons” place. That being said, we’re ready for a powder fix. We experienced above average rainfall this summer and speculation is rife that it will lead to even better snow this season. Can that be true? You’ll have to be here to find out. As always, you can leave your comments on our blog at www.nisekoresortsgroup.com/blog and tell the world what a great time you had while you were here.
Our new face to the World
Just about a month ago, we released our new website to the world. For those of you who haven’t seen it, www.nisekocountryresort.com, is getting rave reviews. We’ve more than doubled the traffic from last year to the site and that is resulting in a large increase in booking opportunities. Our Chalets are filling up fast and the major holiday weeks are almost sold out. If you are thinking about a holiday in the luxury of our Chalets and haven’t reserved yet, do not hesitate to contact Steve at steve.reck@nisekoresortsgroup.com to see if your favourite dates are still available.
“I’ve never been so sore…”
We all want to be our best this season when we arrive in Niseko and head out to the Mountain that first time. To help us get the most of it, we’ve asked a friend of the group, Katie Jackson from Jackson Hole’s Training to Be Balanced, to give us some tips on exercises we could be doing now to make sure we are prepared for the powder. You can check her website out at www.t2bb.com.
The exercises below focus on core, glute and hamstring activation and single leg movements for better ankle knee and hip alignment which is key for all winter sports.
Single Leg Quick Squat
1. Stand in an athletic stance
2. Swing leg behind body
3. Squat up/down at a moderate speed being careful to keep good hip/knee alignment
**Avoid major inward knee bend & shift weight to heel for added balance
Mountain Climbers
Get into push up position with back and hips straight & parallel w the floor, hands positioned slightly outside of your shoulders. Keep one leg straight, with the other bent and near your chest.
Quickly drive bent knee back while bringing straight leg up to chest. Alternate for 1 minute.
24’s (why 24’s – you’ll find out soon enough)
1. Standing squats. Stand with your feet a little more than shoulder width apart. Hands are behind head. Push off heels and squat quickly 24 times.
2. Alternating forward lunges. Quickly lunge forward & down, keeping your back straight. Repeat 24 times.
3. Scissors lunge jump. Lunge jump 24 times alternating legs forward. Switch feet in the air.
4. Jump Squats. Repeat exercise #1, adding a jump to each squat 24 times.
When you’ve caught your breath, continue reading…
There is a rumor that we will be testing everyone on arrival. It could be worth some drinks in the bar so get in there and get started.
Season Forecast – Snow, Snow and Snow
We think that the 2009/2010 season will be one of the best ever. Our aim is to help more guests have more fun ever. Your holiday is our business so if we can help in any way, do not hesitate to contact us. You might be surprised what our ground staff can pull off! If you have friends who want to come join you on a great holiday or who you think would enjoy the area, be sure to have them email Steve on steve.reck@nisekoresortsgroup.com and we will make sure they get our absolute best price – unless you want us to charge them more…
We look forward to seeing you here!
The Team
We bid farewell to the Year of the Rat and embraced the Year of the Ox. The Ox is the second sign of the Chinese zodiac. Like its predecessor and complement, the Rat, the Ox signifies new beginnings. With our most recent development phase (IIIa) completed prior to the Chinese New Year, guests could experience some new beginnings of their own.
ink there is some Aussie pride in there) and it led Dexter, a guest during this period, to comment on the service saying “
Fine dining in Hirafu village exists in the form of restaurant Kamimura offering a nine course degustation menu. Chef Yuichi Kamimura brings a fusion of Japanese seasonal ingredients and flavors enhanced by a classic French cooking technique. Kamimura-san cooked under famous chef Tetsuya Wakuda at what has been called one of the top five restaurants in the world Sydney’s Tetsuya’s. Dishes like grilled scallop with black truffle cream and roasted Wagyu with Niseko potato puree utilize the abundance of Hokkaido’s local products on offer. Accompanying the food are the matching wines Kamimura has carefully selected for his guests. The wine list currently features the best of Italy, France, and Australia. If you need warming up or just a break from the slopes, Kamimura serves coffee to go with his almond and white chocolate cookies both eat-in and take-away. It’s not always easy to get in this fine establishment so be sure to ask our concierge team to get you a table today.
As you know, the Lunar New Year is fast approaching. When the clock moves past midnight on Sunday the 25th, we will moving into the Year of the Ox. We’re not sure what that means for the burning issues of the day, but we do know what it means for The Chalets at Country Resort - 100% occupancy again!
As Christmas Eve dawned, there was a rumour on the mountain that St. Nick himself was in Niseko for some killer boarding before his big night. True to form, our favourite man in the Red Suit made an appearance. Those guests who were deemed to have been “good” were among the first to receive their gifts which ranged from Toboggans and Japanese games for the children to Japanese Royce chocolates for the adults. While Santa appeared to be his normal portly self on the Chirstmas Eve visit, he must have burned off a few calories in his adventurous night as he was caught on the slopes the next day looking a bit thin. He assured us in an exclusive interview (see below) that he did indeed sample all the cakes and biscuits that were left out for him and he thanked everyone for their epicurean generousity.
We had a great turnout with more than 30 in attendance. We ate and drank from both the local produce and some old international favorites (the French still make great Champagne). Anna, Hayley, Joel and Alex provided music, skiing and snowboarding movie screenings, good cheer and bad dancing for entertainment. A few of our guests bowed to tradition and created their own fireworks display before the staff shuttled the party goers into town for the torch run and officially sanctioned, professionaly fireworks display on the Grand Hirafu slopes.
This issue we were able to secure a Niseko exclusive with the Jolly Old Soul himself, Santa Claus. While he didn’t stay with us, we were able to sit down for a quick snack and a glass of Hokkaido’s World Famous Milk before he set off on his journey. As you can see from the picture, he enjoyed our little village so much, he came back for a ski after finishing his big day.
(that’s why it’s the beginning), but now it is in full swing. We already mentioned the 50 centimetres between Christmas and New Year and it just keeps coming. Here’s what Olle, a recent guest at the Chalets from Sweden had to say. “We work in Norway on the ski slopes and the snow doesn’t compare to what we’ve been getting in Niseko. Definitely worth the trip!”
Those are just a few of the great comments we get from the guests at The Chalets. We’ll be back next issue with more great adventures from Niseko. Until then, we wanted to leave you with a great shot of our Niseko Resorts Group vehicle fleet. Whether it’s an airport pickup, a delivery of you and your family to the mountain or maybe just an SOS after a few too many in the village. Our team are there to help.
We’ve had a steady stream of guests through the resort this month to get the season started. Most importantly, we are proud to announce that over the New Year period the Chalets at Country Resort are 100% occupied! That is a first for us and we are looking strong into February. If you or anyone you know is looking for a great holiday, be sure to contact us quickly as we expect that there will be many more totally booked out times. Our marketing team has been working hard and the enquiries keep coming. Just last week, we were featured in the charity auction for the Britcham function in Singapore. After a frenzy of bidding (if you were there you know what I am talking about), the lucky winner donated more than $10,000 Singapore dollars to a worthy cause just so his family could stay with us. That’s indicative of the enthusiasm that our recent guests have had for the place. As we wave goodbye to our guests heading for the airport, the most common response is “See you next year!” To get your friends a great holiday, be sure to email Hayley at 
ice has been a big hit. Recent guests are glowing in their compliments (I would to if I had been pulled out of a snowdrift by the team – not the usual duty) and the team are getting to be well known in the village. As you can see from the picture, they are fitting in well with the environement. Our team is now complete with Joel Egan from Melbourne, Australia joining Anna Newland and Alexander Rowe from Sydney on the ground. So you know, Joel is a veteran of ski resorts such as Banff and Vail and is certified as a ski and snowboard technician. Before you head out to the Mountain, it might be worth a chat to Joel to see how he can help. The ground team wish everyone a happy and safe festive season and look forward to helping make your stay as comfortable as possible.
We all love Niseko for the snow. The start of the season has seen sporadic snowfalls, but enough big dumps to get the slopes humming. We’ve had some great runs out there already. Last week’s heavy falls resulted in the peak being opened meaning you have total access to the Mountain now. Snowfall is forecast to be light, but consistent over the New Year period and we are all looking forward to more great powder.
Anyone who has been to Niseko during the Christmas season has heard the rumors…We love Santa and Santa loves the powder. As the story goes, he likes to come to Niseko a bit early to limber up for his big journey and sneak in a few runs while others are distracted. We have it on good authority that an “Alex-sized” Santa will be spending some time in the Chalets at Country Resort on the 24th, just prior to his big adventure. If anyone sees Santa, could you please tell him to bring lot’s of snow to the area. Also, could you please take a picture so we can feature it prominently in our blog (it could be worth something you know).
Construction is finishing on the most recent phase of Country Resort and we are looking forward to having the extra chalets around and all the interesting guests that are sure to grace us with their presence.
We’re in expansion mode. While the workmen finish up on Country Resort for the year, we will be launching our latest project. The details of this project are not yet public, but we want you to be the first to know. We will be introducing our latest development, a low-rise, state-of-the-art apartment block in Hirafu Village very soon. As a member of the Niseko Resorts Group family you know the value of purchasing and will be given first priority on this project. In addition, any friends you may want to purchase will be extended the same courtesy. To take advantage of this opportunity and learn more, contact Steve Reck directly on