Domo Arigato Country Resorto!

Arriving at Country Resort in Niseko is like landing in a quiet little hamlet where the scene is tranquil, the people friendly, and the service is superb. We landed by bus at the Welcome Center in Hirafu and were greeted by the always friendly and upbeat staff (Stuart, I hope you enjoy Indo!) of The Chalest who whisked us the short drive to our home away from home just 10 minutes from downtown. Our house had a warm slate floor entry/ski room where we would hang up wet ski clothes nightly to find them totally dry in the morning. On a ski trip, this is critical and The Chalets had this dialed. Our modern kitchen was compact and complete making for efficient cooking (although we did eat out most of the time as Niseko/Hirafu has some excellent restaurants). The kitchen had a simple dining area suitable for six adults plus kids in the open living area. Trimmed in local wood, the very modern house has a warm and functional feel. There are additional closets downstairs if needed. Modern bathrooms are equipped with all the latest conveniences you would expect in the Japan of today. Spacious and comfortable to share with another if you like. The bedrooms are fitted with carpeted floors (hardwood is used everywhere except in the bathrooms where it’s slate tile) luxurious linens, dreamy mattresses, and cozy warm comforters. In a word: plush. The windows let in as much light as we wanted, and we would simply adjust the shades as desired. 

Now this trip is about skiing right? Well, skiing and eating. And the team at The Chalets at Country Resort makes sure that you will get to town when you need to by providing shuttle service on the half-hour (most of the day) with pick-up at your door. It could not be more convenient. Simply step outside and the van is there as scheduled to carry you into town to ski, eat, onsen, shop, or just walk around.

The Chalets at Country Resort and Niseko Hirafu is blessed by amazing food, incredible scenery, one of the snowiest ski regions in the world (18 meters of snowfall annually!), and certainly some of nicest people who really do make the effort ensuring you will enjoy your vacation. 

Thank you so much!

Tony Pastore

 California, USA

We had another wonderful visit to The Chalets at Country Resorts a few weeks ago and wanted to let you know what a good job Stuart Cady and his team did for us.

I’ve written a Letter of Commendation for Stuart, as we felt his service and pleasant attitude needed to be recognized.  I’ve attached it to this email. 

We were amazed at how much snow there was at the end of March!  We would love to come back again sometime for the snow, the skiing, the dining and the staff/accomodations at The Chalets at Country Resorts.

We will recommend the Chalets and skiing in Niseko to our friends and wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

 Sincerely,

Mary Lee Stenson

Jakarta, Indonesia

13 April, 2010

Niseko, Japan, Receives Up To 60cm–Check Out Photos

By jstifter – November 5, 2009 – 14:08

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”

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”.

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.

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.

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.    

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