Ever been to Target for some last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve and found that every option for a stocking filler is taken? What about rocking up to KFC ten minutes before close to find there’s no more original recipe? It’s something we’ve all faced. And no matter how many times it’s happened, it always sucks. Whether it’s buying clothes, booking accommodation or missing the early bird price for flights, there’s a cost to leaving things to the last minute.
The same could be said when it comes to JaPow this winter – if you’re still umming and ahhing, you’re risking missing out entirely. We’ve been warning you for months now – Japan’s winter season is in HIGH demand this year. And no, we’re not just saying that as a marketing ploy, we’ve actually been crunching numbers and it seems like if you don’t jump on booking now, you will miss out on skiing JaPow this winter.
Don’t believe us? Let’s look at how the current winter is shaping up.
Accommodation
As of October, peak dates in January and February are 95% booked out at selected accommodations in Hirafu! So unless you’re planning on staying in a tent this pow trip, it’s looking like spring skiing is going to be the best bet for you this season.
Now, before you get upset about the lack of peak season accom options, there is still heaps on offer around February and March, which, if you ask us, is actually the best time to go shredding in Japan. Blue bird days, firmer snowpack in the backcountry, empty lift lines, and walk-in availability at restaurants, what’s not to love about spring? Plus, by booking just outside of the peak season, you’ll find that accommodation is significantly cheaper.
So no, all hope is not lost if you haven’t booked in your accommodation yet, but word to the wise, springtime is definitely a favourite amongst backcountry enthusiasts and domestic travellers, so availabilities won’t stay on offer for too much longer.
Rhythm Trips Packages
Looking for a peak season winter vacay with Trips? Get in fast. December, January and February are all almost completely booked out, with March starting to rapidly fill up as well.
But…that’s essentially the whole ski season? Yep, our all-inclusive Trips packages are flying out the door. So if you’re hoping to jump in on a last minute ski trip, now’s the time to start acting.
Rhythm Rides
When it comes to Rhythm Rides, we have a stack of instructors eager to get on-snow and teach at any moment, so no matter what time of the season you look into booking lessons, we will do everything in our power to make it happen for you.
That being said, all of our instructors offer their own unique skills, training and riding style, so if you have a specific instructor in mind or want to hone in on specific styles of riding, we recommend booking as early as possible.
And while we’re on the subject of booking in your Rides lessons and guiding early – people love shredding backcountry terrain here in Japan. In fact, more often than not, it’s the reason why a lot of skiers do venture over here each and every year. So if you are still holding onto the dream of smashing untracked treelines in Japan alongside the safety of a certified guide, best get on it early – our Rides guides are hot in demand.
Rentals
With a rental fleet of over 3,000 boards and skis, we still have plenty on offer, even with a huge surge in pre-bookings. Although with bookings the way they are, we can’t guarantee anything! So if you want to make sure you have a ride secured, it’s probably best to pre-book.
The Best Time To Start Booking
May, the best time to start booking was in May. Butttt if you missed out on booking at that time, there’s no time like the present!
For a bit of added context for the naysayers who think May’s too early to start locking in your trip, here are the months when we saw the biggest spikes in our pre-bookings:
Rentals
People want to ride the gear that best suits their riding needs, which means June is when bookings started coming in hot, coinciding with our epic early bird deals.
Accommodation
As Japan’s mountain ranges have a huge collection of return punters each and every year, a big portion of high-end accommodation options actually begin to fill up around April, May and June. Considering lifts were still spinning in both Niseko and Hakuba in April and May this year, that means people started pre-booking while the previous winter’s ski season was still in operation. So when we say it’s important to book early, we aren’t exaggerating.
Trips
If you’ve got a good thing going, why change it up?
That’s exactly the mentality carried by our Trips participants who after a successful first year in operation, were itching to come back for the following season. So while Trips bookings have steadily come in over the last few months, trends seem to indicate very similar results to accommodation, with 30% of all Trips packages booked upon its launch in April. As we all know, when it comes to pow, the early bird gets the worm.
Rides Lessons & Guiding
Naturally before you start looking for lessons you secure your accommodation and rental gear first. So for Rhythm Rides, bookings started a bit later, coming in thick and fast around September and are showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Time to start booking!
A little birdy told us…
Word on the street is that it’s shaping up to be a pretty insane season snow-wise, and if the last two record breaking seasons are anything to go off, we reckon the speculation is looking pretty accurate. Do you really want to miss that?
Feeling the heat? Book now before you miss out. AND as a special perk, if you pre-book now, you’ll also score access to our exclusive new pick-up window, allowing you to skip the crowds and streamline your rental process between 1 -3 pm every day!
