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There are more than a dozen ski areas around Hakuba , in the dramatic northern Alps 60km northwest of Nagano, where many of the top skiing events of the 1998 Olympics were held. The largest and most popular resort here is HAPPO-ONE , site of the Olympic downhill, which has a wide range of runs covered by an extensive network of lifts (a one-day lift pass costs Y4300). The village itself consists of an unruly gaggle of candy-coloured lodges, giftshops and cafes with silly English names, such as Coffee Cake Dude - but it makes a fine base for hiking and climbing in summer. A good English leaflet is available at the information centre in Nagano Station and covers some of the most popular hiking courses around here. There should also be an English-speaker on duty at the Hakuba village tourist information centre , to the left of Hakuba Station (8.30am-5pm; tel 0261/72-2279). To get to Happo-One from Nagano, hop on a bus - the journey takes around an hour. By train the area is best reached from Matsumoto along the JR Oito line. From Hakuba Station take a bus or taxi to Happo-One. A good place to stay is the friendly Hakuba Valley Hotel (tel 0261/72-2448, fax 72-2137; Y20,000-30,000), on the slopes of Naki-yama. This Japanese-style inn, popular with expats, is run by the English-speaking Hata-san. Rates include two meals, rooms are decorated with modern pottery and there's a bar and pool table for apres-ski socializing. To reach the hotel you need to take the chairlift up the slope from the Happo-One car park, or call ahead and Hata-san can pick you up in his snow cat.
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