Grandeco Snow Resort – Tohoku, Japan 2024
What an exhilarating experience it is to stand knee-deep in powder at 1982 meters atop Mount Nishi-Daiten, gazing across snow-blanketed forests toward the rugged crater of Mount Bandai. The snow-capped, concave summit serves as a stark reminder of the eruption 140 years ago that blew the top off the mountain taking 500 souls and is now the icon of Tohoku’s skiing region.
Skiers make the pilgrimage to Japan in a quest for deep, light untracked powder and as we stood up on the tree-less summit draining the final sip of our thermos coffee and clicking into our skis we were already anticipating the silent and sparkling pillow ride down.
A few hours earlier we’d set out from Grandeco Snow Resort with a gondola ride and then a chair bump to 1600m. It was from there we turned on beacons and followed our local guides along a thigh deep track, feeling our heart rates and body temperature climb as we did.
What is just short of 400 metres of vertical took between 2-3 hours, a sobering reminder of the respect that must be paid to altitude and the challenge of making trail through deep powder. What it generously gives in feather light floating descents it demands back when you want to head in the other direction. We make a mental note to step up our pre-ski fitness regime and opt for skins over snow shoes next time.
Nearing the summit, we pause to take in the surreal and enchanting view of the famed ‘Snow Monsters’ – the trees that have been so loaded and rimed with ice and snow they really do look like mystical creatures.
The ski down on virgin powder was worth every moment of the hike up. Drawing a line of turns through a silent forest on legendary Japanese pow feels like pure joy and there’s a reason it’s on the bucket list of every skier. We try to savour the moments which are gone all too quickly and we’re back inbounds before we know it settling in for traditional hot pot. If the stereotypical Japanese experience wasn’t already captured in our picture postcard morning, we rounded it out with a soak and steam in the hotel onsen. When in Japan.
Grandeco Snow resort is nestled in Honshu’s Tohoku region and it’s in the midst of a transformative phase. Simply put, it’s perhaps a bit underestimated right now and if you want to ‘discover’ it before everyone else does you might want to get here soon.
The resort caters to powder enthusiasts with dedicated off-piste areas, great powder skiing under the abandoned lift and surrounds and a ‘powder course’ threading through the trees. During our weeklong stay daily top ups of 5-15cm kept the riding fresh without being extreme. For those in your crew who might still be finding their powder legs Grandeco rolls out plenty of superb grooming so they’ll be happy shredding cord. And talking resort comforts they do have some hooded chairlifts in the mix which is welcome on a snow day.
Grandeco Resort has just 11 official runs, 5 park runs, 1 gondola and 3 chairlifts but the runs are long, and the side access is expanding every season. It’s a good base to check out the surrounding Bandai and Arabandai areas where there are 8 local snow resorts, such as Nekoma, only a short drive. Nekoma is an exercise in contrasts – previously two separate resorts it is now linked with a new lift. The south is more modern and leans to beginner/intermediate terrain, while the north offers more pitch and challenge and less people but with a trade off of old-Soviet vibes and less safety bars.
I’ve been exploring Japanese ski areas since I was 16 and after clocking up time in close to 30 different resorts I will admit many can leave the accommodation side of a ‘holiday’ wanting. Getting the balance of comfort and authenticity is tricky. Swing too far on the side of traditional and you could spend your stay with fish and rice for breakfast, firm futons on tatami mats in tiny spaces and communal bathing or at the other extreme, it’s completely westernised resorts where you miss all the local flavour and culture.
Grandeco Resort seem to have struck that Goldilocks balance that makes a new visitor to Japan feel comfortable while making a great base for those who know their udon from their soba. There are western ski resort touches like a warming fireplace with marshmallows, a coffee machine offering bottomless refills and a library but ample opportunity to discover local cuisine and wine which is all local – you’ll want to try the Abukuma River salmon and the prefecture’s Wagyu beef. Turn on the tap and the water you drink and bathe in is from the local Onogawa Natural Spring – they even serve a unique water-jelly like dessert.
The hotel is truly ‘ski in ski out’ with the gondola just a one-minute slide from the backdoor. When you’re not on the snow the hotel offers a 25-metre indoor pool, two generous size indoor and outdoor onsens, free massage chairs, a laundry (a travel bonus for families) and a massage service.
We were the only western guests during our stay but that’s unlikely to last long with programs like the Rookie Academy out of New Zealand starting to run powder camps here. I was fortunate to spend a day with Academy founder Dean and my confidence and comfort at riding in powder is already on the uptick.
There’s plenty to see in the local area when not skiing so you may want to rent a car or tap into the hotel’s shuttle services. If you’re into Japanese history this region gives you a good sense of the power, politics and economy of the Meiji Restoration period. The town of Aizu, just an hour from the snow resort has an incredible castle with a museum that gives visitors an excellent understanding of weaponry, class hierarchy, traditional dress and topography. The multiple moats around the city were dug by hand. Yamatogawa Sake brewery in nearby Kitakata runs fascinating brewery tours at its contemporary site sourcing and growing rice locally. Its 220-year-old original brewery is also open as a museum and tasting room.
