This post is long overdue ...
My group of expat all-stars from Samsung Korea traveled to Niseko, Japan for the 2014 Lunar New Year holiday. The snow was so good during Lunar New Year 2013 that we just had to return. Though not as spectacular as the year before, Niseko once again did not disappoint!
Just like last year, a big group of us rented a big house in the Grand Hirafu Village, ready to shred for 3 days on the most amazing powdery snow I have ever seen. We got quite unlucky with the weather this year as high winds prevented us from skiing on the top of the mountain for all 3 days that we visited. However, even with 20% of the ski mountain accessible the skiing is still many times better than Korean skiing! We were still able to do some backcountry skiing in knee deep powder — totally worth it.
This year the skiing took a back seat to the delicious meals and wonderful camaraderie our house of 13 experienced together after ski day. We knew from the outset that our house would be a bit like an "Animal House", sort of a grown-up fraternity similar to the movie "Old School". We ate lavishly at elegant Japanese restaurants our first two nights before catering in at our house on the third evening. It seemed like a grown-up dinner at first, but naturally evolved into a night of vodka pulls, flipcup, and physical challenges. We collectively felt hungover the day after — and we all learned the valuable lesson that skiing is much, much harder after heavy drinking!
Of course, the return to reality after leaving ski fantasy land was hard, and it's not clear how many more of these expat rendezvous we will all still be in Korea for. The brief, fleeting moment of rediscovered youth that we all felt in Niseko 2014 is a feeling we all will not forget for some time.
My group of expat all-stars from Samsung Korea traveled to Niseko, Japan for the 2014 Lunar New Year holiday. The snow was so good during Lunar New Year 2013 that we just had to return. Though not as spectacular as the year before, Niseko once again did not disappoint!
Just like last year, a big group of us rented a big house in the Grand Hirafu Village, ready to shred for 3 days on the most amazing powdery snow I have ever seen. We got quite unlucky with the weather this year as high winds prevented us from skiing on the top of the mountain for all 3 days that we visited. However, even with 20% of the ski mountain accessible the skiing is still many times better than Korean skiing! We were still able to do some backcountry skiing in knee deep powder — totally worth it.
This year the skiing took a back seat to the delicious meals and wonderful camaraderie our house of 13 experienced together after ski day. We knew from the outset that our house would be a bit like an "Animal House", sort of a grown-up fraternity similar to the movie "Old School". We ate lavishly at elegant Japanese restaurants our first two nights before catering in at our house on the third evening. It seemed like a grown-up dinner at first, but naturally evolved into a night of vodka pulls, flipcup, and physical challenges. We collectively felt hungover the day after — and we all learned the valuable lesson that skiing is much, much harder after heavy drinking!
Of course, the return to reality after leaving ski fantasy land was hard, and it's not clear how many more of these expat rendezvous we will all still be in Korea for. The brief, fleeting moment of rediscovered youth that we all felt in Niseko 2014 is a feeling we all will not forget for some time.
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| Loving quirky Japan, as always! |
Freeride Lodge has just been newly refurbished and renovated. Having been dormant for the last 8 years, she is finally operating again as a fun and vibrant budget accommodation option in Niseko. Freeride Lodge has been re-designed specifically to give you the best snow holiday experience possible. Freeride Lodge is owned and operated by the same friendly team as the Hooting Owl Lodge. It goes without saying that you can expect the same amazing level of service, cheap accommodation Niseko, snow accommodation niseko Japan, bedget accommodation Niseko, ski accommodation Niseko, Niseko Hostel accommodation, Niseko backpackers hospitality and good times here at Freeride, just ask our past customers. You can check out some of our reviews on here. We owe so much of The Hooting Owl’s overwhelming success to our amazing customers and we are so excited to be able to bring you Freeride Lodge.
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