The only major activity you will be hard to come by, is winter sport. Actually, it will be hard to find a worse place to live in if your big passion is snowboarding fresh powder or climb frozen waterfalls!
Only the most desperate will attempt the Singapore indoor skiing facility. Trust me – nobody can be that desperate!

Being pin point on the equator means you wont find any snow in a radius of at least 5h flying time!
No wonder I never even considered the option of snowboarding during my first few years in Singapore and only started phantasizing about it after the topic emerged with my Korean colleague, who turned out to be a very enthusiastic snowboarder.
The skiing/snowboarding experience in my office was otherwise extremely limited, but after a few rounds of happy hour we managed to extend our group of enthusiasts to five and were soon heading out to our first winter sport trip to – Japan.

Options for winter sport in Asia are very very limited. Skiing in China is still in its infancy, which leaves Korea as the closest destination with decent ski resorts. Korean resorts however seem to be suffering from overcrowding and if already flying so far, we might as well fly a bit further and enjoy Japan, home to famous ski areas like Nagano (former winter Olympics) and Hokkaido (heaven of powder snow).

Our first ski trip to Hokkaido in 2013 became a big success and it has since become an annual tradition for us to go Japan beginning of the year.
Hokkaido being in the very north of Japan is very snow-safe and gets loads of new powder thanks to its Siberian influence. Typical for Japan everything is very reliable and efficient, lift facilities are excellent and rental equipment is usually of good quality.
And the best of all: during the week the slopes are usually very empty!

Obviously there are neither Europeans nor Americans coming to Japan for winter sport and among Asians skiing is still quite a new thing. That means the only foreigners you will see are from Australia & New Zealand and a few exotics from Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan. And as working Japanese don’t have a lot of holidays, the only Japanese you will see are school groups.

If you like Japanese food, then thats another big selling point. From Sushi to Ramen the quality at hotels is typically very good and even on the slopes you get very decent lunch food.

Fancy a hot bath after the cold and tiring day of skiing? Nothing better than a relaxing Onsen bath! Even the smallest family hotel will have hot bath facilities, usually with an indoor and an outdoor section.

In my view the only aspect where Japanese skiing is loosing out against its counterparts in the Alpes, is Apres-ski. While in Europe the first thing after a long day of skiing might be to have a pint at a bar next to the slopes, in Japan the priority is on Onsen and a lavish dinner (plus drinks). There are bars around, where you can mingle with other foreigners, but don’t expect the same standard as in the Alpes.

If you like to mix your skiing with a bit of sightseeing there are many good options, especially in Hokkaido, where most ski resorts are close to the regional capital Sapporo, famous for the best Japanese beer, and smaller gems like the coastal town Otaru, where you can indulge in delicious Sushi and Hokkaido’s famous dairy products.

So far I could never convince Yang Ke to join me for my trips, despite the numerous food photos! I was hoping to build up credibility by introducing her to the wonders of snowboarding in Chile, but (as you know) that turned out a big fiasco and since then it has been a lost case ;(

Every year we try a new ski resort and this year we opted for a less known, more local resort close to Nagano. Usually we have a stop over in Tokyo over the weekend, to do some shopping and enjoy Tokyo food, and then spend the week in the ski resort when it is most quiet.

Our ski hotel’s location was amazing, just next to the slope, it was (again) very well managed and the food was varied and very tasty.
This year was quite a bad year for winter sports, in Europe as well as Japan. But even then conditions were still pretty good with only a few icy patches during the first two days. After the second day we got lots of new snow and  fully enjoyed the rest of our stay!

After winter had started and the snow caps in the Andes grew bigger and bigger we started to look out for ski resorts and for a chance to do some snowboarding. Our initial target was Santiago, where a few big ski resorts are within a short distance from the city but got quite shocked by the high prices. It seems skiing in Chile is mostly catered to American tourists and the few local rich and despite the high prices the quality of the resorts is not always very good.  We decided to venture further south and opted for the resort of Nevados de Chillan, 400km south of Santiago, which had better snow conditions and whilst also plagued with older ski lifts and frequent lift closures is at least much more affordable.

Being used to functional and cramped ski hotels, I was extremely positively surprised when we stepped into our spacious and nicely designed hotel!

The best part of the hotel was the huge living room with cosy sofas and fire places

It came directly to good use on our first day, when Singapore-like downpours forced us to postpone our snowboarding plans. Luckily the temperatures dropped over night and on the second day we got day-long snowfall. Not the best visibility, but perfect for Yang Ke’s very first snowboarding lesson, guaranteeing soft landings on her numerous falls

We spent the day practicing basic gliding and heal edging, which she mastered pretty fast!

The third day we were greeted by sunshine and blue skies, all set for another great day of snowboarding.

Unfortunately the snow was a bit icy in the morning and Yang Ke had a painful fall on her tailbone, forcing her to an early rest    Luckily nothing serious and she has recovered well since then.

I had a few runs exploring the area and while not very big, the resort has a few nice slopes with nice settings and views

One problem of the resort is that the summit often has strong winds and ski lifts on higher altitudes get closed down, creating long queues at the remaining lifts.

Worst part is that despite the huge queue, the 3-person ski lift was quite unorganised, many chairs leaving empty or with just one person!