“Ski” and “Appi” are two words that should be synonymous. They are words that beg to be linked and intertwined with each other in the pantheon of Japanese skiing and winter tourism.
The pride of Iwate prefecture’s flagship ski resort, Appi Kogen (“kogen” is a Japanese word meaning “plateau” or “heights”) invariably finds itself on most lists of “Top 5 Ski Areas” in the Japanese press, and in the last few I have seen, it was perched close to the top spot.
The secret to Appi’s success, in my opinion, is its treatment of the ski consumer, which is top notch. It is a well designed ski area with plenty of terrain ranging from gentle slopes to a few that will challenge a hearty expert. It has plenty of gondolas and lifts, which keep skiers skiing and not waiting in lines. T.R. Reid, in his book “Ski Japan”, the de facto English-language “bible” of skiing in Japan, gave the title of both “best beginner” and “best intermediate” ski trail to trails at Appi. “Panorama” is a 5-kilometer long, winding trail that gently snakes around the mountains west side, and ensures that a novice skier can ride the main gondola to the summit and safely get to the bottom. Along the way they can enjoy some great mountain views. “Hayabusa” (“falcon”) is a wide intermediate trail that is serviced by two double chairs and represents the figurative “center” or “backbone” of the ski area. It has enough of a pitch that an advanced skier can enjoy a nice cruising run, but is wide and gentle enough that a novice can experiment and learn without great amounts of fear and trepidation. They are both deserving of their titles in Reid’s book.
Appi Kogen Snow Resort also receives a pretty generous snow fall. In an area that generally finds most ski areas closing around the middle of, to the end of March, Appi Kogen Snow Resort almost always finds a way to stay open though the “Golden Week” block of national holidays in early May. It is usually one of the first ski areas in the region to open too.
The facilities include a football field-sized main cafeteria that offers Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indian, Italian, and other Western cuisines in abundance. In a region where one is hard-pressed to find any Indian food, several varieties of curry and nan bread are nothing to be sneezed at. In addition, the main building has another cafeteria and a coffee shop to boot, not to mention a mid-mountain slope side restaurant and a cafeteria at the other base lodge on the far side of the mountain. The well-stocked gift shop, another consumer-friendly highlight of Appi’s, has some high-quality juice and dairy products from a local farm. A kiosk by the main entrance leading to the slopes sells a popular ice cream/crepe dessert.
The foreign consumer will be impressed with the fact that, on most days Appi will have a native speaker of English in the ski and snowboard school, a fluent speaker at the main desk, and two more fluent speakers at the facility. In addition, the rental shop, besides having friendly staff, and the latest in equipment, will also have sizes that tend to run larger than most other Japanese ski areas. Any consumer should be impressed with hotels practically on the slopes, including the 15-story Appi Grand which towers over the base lodge and main quad lift. The city of Hachimantai is dotted with places to stay and hot springs to soak in après-ski.
Appi Kogen Snow Resort is easily accessible by express bus from the Prefectural capital of Morioka. The ride there usually takes about an hour. Appi Kogen Snow Resort should be one of the places you start your exploration of Japanese or Iwate skiing.