If you’re not concerned about known brands, this is where the real bargains can be had. As recently as three weeks ago, we saw adult beginner snowboard sets on sale in Tokyo for ¥29,900 (around AU$310) for a snowboard, set of bindings AND boots!!)

The snow engines are firing up and while some resorts have been affected by a bit of rain this week, this weekend promises to be the start of a sustained period of snow across most regions.

Greetings from Appi Kogen! We’ve been champing at the bit to get back to Appi after our last visit for a couple of reasons. First up we needed to confirm it really was as good as we’d remembered (spoiler alert: it is!!)