During the week the lift lines at all of the Hakuba Valley’s resorts are virtually non-existent, well except for powder mornings where you will have a line for powder hunters to grab first tracks.
On the weekend or a Japanese national holiday, be prepared to wait a few minutes to get on a chair lift and a few more to take one of the Hakuba Valley’s five gondolas.
Japanese are some of the politest people on this planet and you will see it first hand when you are lining up for a lift. No-one will jump the line and if someone actually does then nine times out of ten the people behind won’t say anything in order to avoid a confrontation or embarrassing someone .
The saying goes when in Rome do as the Romans do and we encourage all international visitors to Hakuba Valley to copy the Japanese and line up like they do. There is plenty of powder and piste for everyone.
A couple of tips.
- Get up early to avoid long lift lines in the morning rush.
- Eat lunch early or later to avoid overcrowded restaurants.
- Ski or ride down early to beat the afternoon rush for the buses and parking.
- Stay high on the mountains, lift lines tend to be longer at the bases.
