Let me say right up front that I don't much care for snow. While Tokyo constantly disappoints by failing to deliver a white Christmas, that's about as far as my interest goes. And though I have enjoyed the thrills and spills of skiing a few times (before the advent of the snowboard, I admit), the experience was hardly enough to hook me. So believe me when I tell you that the only thing that lured me up to spend New Year's in Naeba, Niigata Prefecture, was the promise of finding a good bar.

Of course, it's not just the sport that draws people to ski resorts the world over. But in Japan, usually the only way to ensure a little apres-ski action is to load up a couple of minivans full of friends and book the biggest tatami room in a minshuku near the snow. For the last three years, Lorne Campbell and Kylie Gregory have slowly (but surely) been working at changing all that -- or at least on their little patch of snow at the foot of the Asagai Snowboard Park near Naeba.

Lorne and Kylie are both winter-sports enthusiasts. They met in Tokyo five years ago after coming to Japan separately (from England and Australia, respectively), and working in the Roppongi bar scene while trying to plug into the daytime job market. Along with some friends, they rented a house in Minakami four years ago and started hitting the snow in earnest in and around Naeba. One day, after boarding down the Asagai slope, they noticed a ramshackle ramen shop at the bottom of the run.

"We thought that would be a gold mine if we could get it," says Lorne.

What attracted them was its proximity to the slope. Tucked into a corner opposite the entrance to the lift, one could literally ski right up to the steps leading to a wide strip of deck in front. Though at that time the deck was riddled with holes, it -- more than anything -- was what caught their imagination: a deck, right there, overlooking the snow. And while their first three years have consumed Lorne and Kylie's finances rather than generate money, their efforts so far have certainly upped its potential.

Besides the big job of repairing the deck, the entire dark, grease-stained, wood-paneled interior needed to be rethought. Though some patches of paneling remain, these are balanced by areas painted blue, orange and white, which give the space a modern, airy feel. While Lorne turned his hand to carpentry (knocking together 22 stools in three days), Kylie added stylish touches, such as funky blue lights above the bar and a row of colored parfait glasses. Kylie also maintains a gallery of party Polaroids, striped across two patches of white wall.

Most of the gear behind the bar and in the kitchen was inherited from the previous occupants -- including a rice dispenser they scrubbed up and filled with orange Christmas lights and which now serves as a stand for a monitor showing music and extreme sports videos.

The most significant outlay was the purchase of a pizza oven. And thereby hangs the thread of what will surely lead to Snodeck's success -- the thin-crust Italian-style pizza that Lorne and Kylie not only serve but also deliver in the greater Naeba area.

The menu includes other tasty bites, too, like Italian panini, as well as pasta and salads and a variety of vegetarian foods. The bar serves as much beer as coffee and herbal tea in the afternoon and, come nightfall, the mixed drinks and cocktails flow.

All of these details are mere accessories to one of Snodeck's best features -- the vibe. In addition to being ski and food enthusiasts, both Lorne and Kylie are outgoing and into music. I first met them four years ago at the Fuji Rock Festival, which takes place in Naeba every summer, and have met them there every year since.

Lorne and Kylie take their music seriously. Even though Snodeck is only open during the ski season, they boast a fully equipped DJ booth fitted with twin turntables and CD decks -- a better set-up than can be found in most bars that operate year round. On the weekend -- especially Saturdays during the peak of the season -- they will usually bring a DJ or two up from Tokyo and print fliers to hand out to skiers. On those occasions all the hip-hop boarders in the area lob in, complete with one trouser leg rolled up -- even in the snow!

Such was the case on New Year's Eve, for which DJ Dave Twomey was brought in to spin a dance-a-holic breakbeat mix. The staff had neatly transformed the restaurant area into a dance floor in readiness and then waited for the party to begin. One edge that Snodeck definitely has over Naeba's other bars is its good connections with DJs and the foreign set -- who were out in strength that night.

A tight knot of Lorne and Kylie's friends held watch till nearly 10 p.m., but by the time firecrackers were popping at midnight, the space was packed with a throng of smiling Japanese faces, all high-fiving and howling "Ake-ome!" and "Koto-yoro!" as befits the young and hip.

The vibe is high for such events, but even during the week Snodeck manages to maintain a cool ambience worthy of any bar in Tokyo, thanks not least to the friendly, energized staff who work there.

At lunchtime most tables are taken, and thereafter throughout the afternoon an assortment of locals will drop by -- people with whom Lorne and Kylie have formed connections during their time here. Everyone from families with kids and the wives of snowmobile drivers to old men and their dogs have become regulars at Snodeck.

Another plus for skiers (or hangers-on, like myself) in the Naeba area is the variety and availability of natural hot-spring spas. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't there for the skiing so I instead spent the days sampling the delights of some of the better baths. I tried everything from a superhot sulfur soak at Bijin no Yu to the relaxing, natural setting of a rotenburo in the snow at Honjin, both of which are within easy walking distance from Snodeck and the Asagai slope.

You will also find a variety of budget packages, including transportation, accommodation and ski passes, available on Snodeck's Web site. These packages definitely take the grief out of arranging a ski trip -- especially if it's your first. And either Lorne or Kylie can introduce you to the basics of boarding if you need.

If not for the snow, the vibe or the hot springs, then Snodeck is worth the drive up to Naeba just for the pizza . . .