I fly - no, floating - through powderw and white sprays surround me.
All I can see are trees that make it difficult for weeks with fresh snow.
And it is quiet, so quiet.
I wonder:Am I in heaven?
Then my thighs begin to burn like crazy and I come to the screeching realization that I am not (because I will be in perfect form in heaven, have amazing perseverance and can be ski powder for more than four curves in a row.)
However, I am about as close as possible.
Rusutsu.
Although you may have never heard of this Japanese village in the Hokkaido mountains, it is now one of my favorite places on earth. From a reason and only for one reason: the snow.
This is also the reason why I hate skiing in Japan.
I am now in Hokkaido in skiing twice and I am ruined forever. It's just so good.
(Click here when you want to skip my story and go directlyWhat you need to know on skiing holidays in Rusutsu.))
I love skiing. I started at the age of three, and it is undoubtedly the only sport in which I am good from afar.
After the college I moved into the mountains ofBreckenridge, coIn order to realize my dreams to be a ski butter, the winter I had planned quickly became three - and were some of the best years of my life.
If IGo to Japan firstI knew two years ago that I had to ski. I had read about themJapanese powderAnd I wanted to see it for myself.
I spent several daysSkiing in NisekoWhat is one of the most popular resorts in Hokkaido. The snow was great, as was my stay in the Annupuri Lodge, but something about the city didn't click me.
Almost everyone who lived, worked and visited the city was Australian, but I wanted a more Japanese feeling.
After my return to Hokkaido I wanted something else. I made some researchPowderhoundsAnd decided to try Rusutsu.
I was nervous; I mean, why repair something that is not really broken? What if Niseko has a better snow?
In short, I am very happy that I gave Rusutsu a shot. It is only an hour from Niseko, but is worlds away.
All resorts will be nice ...
What I am looking for is a resort with a lot of snow, few people and funny terrain, and Rusutsu is.
The only problem is: I never want to ski anywhere else! Now that I have seen what skiing in Japan can look like, it is more difficult to appreciate other resorts.
I will try my best (because flight tickets for Japan are damn expensive!), But Japan ruined me forever.
That's why I hate it.
Now, for the skiers and snowboarders among you, you will find a lot of detailed information about skiing in Rusutsu.
For the rest of you, practice this winter in your local mountain ... Then come back and read that!
What you need to know about ski holidays in Rusutsu, Japan
Snow/trees/elevator access
Ahhhhhmazing. The snow was the best I have ever seen: light, fluffy and omnipresent.
It came and came again and again and we even drove a fifth (unplanned) day because it had thrown foot the night before and we couldn't stand.
The elevator access is incredible; it seems as if the random way are taking them, they will land on a high -speed lift with a bonnet. (And hoods are great when it is as snowing as there.)
One of my favorite parts about Rusutsu? There were never any elevator lines.
The paths themselves are nice. Many of them remained unusual, which even made the regular runs in the abundant snow entertaining.
However, if you travel all the way to Rusutsu, do not go for the way. They go outside the slopes for skiing and let me tell you: It's worth it.
There was literally a run that we took over again and again because the snow was so good there. The trees are not too narrow, so there is nothing that is afraid of. And as I said, every line that we someHave led to the elevator - through zero to minimal.
We found the best snow and tree runs to be on Mt. Isola. In fact, we rarely drove in the East or west mountains in five days. In Isola it was just so much fun to have!
The best thing about it is that you have the place for yourself. There are untouched powder fields directly from the elevator; everything you have to do is to duck a rope.
Although there are "off -limits" signs everywhere, this seems to be more for liability purposes, and no one really takes care of it. Few Japanese do not drive in the slopes, so that they only compete for freshies with the few other foreigners in the resort.
We found fresh tracks every single run. (If you are currently not booking a skiing holiday in Rusutsu in this sentence, I am not sure what else to say.)
Lift tickets
These are surprisingly cheap compared to the USA.
Our pension sold reduced daily lift tickets for 4,200 yen (40 US dollars). This were nice, because if you want to hurt yourself or not want to ski, there is no obligation.
If you spend the night in the lodge, you can get all-day tickets for 5,300 yen ($ 50) or a 4-day ticket to 4,700 per day ($ 45).
You also have a half -day morning ticket that is unknown in the States. The first chair here is not so important, since you probably find fresh tracks all day every day.
There are many different types and packages, some of whom even contain a food embroidery.Rusutsu Resort Lift Ticket Prices.
Ski and snowboard rental
There is not much competition here, so the rentals are quite expensive. If you come exclusively for a skiing holiday, I strongly recommend bringing your own equipment with you.
TheRental business in the resortOnly Salomon and Atomic.So if you are not a big fan of both (raised hand), then you are no longer lucky.
The selection is limited, is well maintained. You will not ask what your preferences are.So if you know which size/DIN you want, just let them know.
You also rent pants, jackets, hats and safety glasses if you don't have cold laundry equipment.
We rented skis, boots, sticks and helmets. For four days, the costs were 16,000 (ski/boots/stairs) + 6,400 (helmet) = 22,400 yen (215 USD). If you want the skis, it costs 20 US dollarsWe wanted one day one day (in the meantime I was definitely in the trees!) And the costs were 500 yen (5 US dollars) per person to change equipment.
Although the business is located cheaply near the gondola, you can only store devices there, unless you stay in the resort. (In this case you will receive your own ski locker.)
In the past there was another rental business called Ciao Sports, the supposedly better equipment, but it has been closed since then. I saw signs for a business that was directly opposite (next to the 7/11), but I had no chance to check it.
Rusutsu crude RT
The Rusutsu Resort is dominated by the huge hotel, which is a really bizarre place.
There is an indoor carousel, a huge vocal tree and a group of fake furry dogs that play music. You think, I'm joking, but I am not. There are also a lot of kitschy souvenir and snack shops. There is fun to walk through onceBut otherwise I wouldn't spend much time there.
The employees of the Rusutsu Resort were fantastic. Jeder was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. It was also very good.
There seem to be a lot of amenities in the resort, but we didn't take care of them. We were a bit busy with all the snow! The activities included dog sleds, cheese production (? Why?!) And snowmobilization (warning: the sledgesfrom as if they were from the early 80s).
The only thing we took advantage of was the Onsen (Japanese Hot Spring). This is everywhere in Japan and are incredible.
Although you should be a hotel guest to use the onsen of the resort, nobody looks in, so just go into how you own the place, and you will be fine. It is such a wonderful pleasure at the end of a long ski -Day.
Eat Drink
The city of Rusutsu is tiny, so there are not many options here.
Apart from the lodge, there are literally five restaurants, all of which are broken together in a row.If you want to enjoy a meal!)
Our pension served delicious, but expensive, dinner (see below), and we decided, in the 7th/11th.To fuel Convenience Store. We bought ramen, Mochi, cookies, microwave -free rice dinner and 5 US dollar wine -and were very satisfied with ourselves.
The food on the mountain is expensive, but not crazy. You can get a bowl with steaming ramen for $ 1,300 yen ($ 13) or a two-piece bowl curry and rice for $ 1,500 yen ($ 15).
My advice, however, is to buy snacks in the convenience store in the lodge. They have hot chocolate for just 1 US dollar, while it costs 4.50 US dollars from the cafeteria line..
What we did in the end was to buy 1 US dollar onigiri (triangle of rice + tuna + seatang) from the 7/11.Hot chocolate made the perfect economic meal.
Money/ATM
Although our pension did not accept credit cards, the resort did it, which meant that we could pay for our lift cards and rental cards.
If you need cash, there is an ATM that works in Rusutsu with international cards. It is within the 7/11 directly opposite the resort. Even works with American cards that cannot be said for many ATMs in Japan.
Accommodation
There are not many accommodation options in Rusutsu.
The hotel seemed to be a good option-if they wanted to spend an arm and leg.
If you want to have a more personal and Japanese feeling, I recommend spending the night in one of the small pensions.
We stayed in thePension ClydesdaleAnd it was absolutely wonderful.
If pension Clydesdale is not available, I recommend checking itBooking.comfor other economic options or if you are in a group, try one of the holiday rentalsAirbnb. (Register with my link and you will receive$ 35 from your first booking!)
For those among them who are interested, you will find my full assessment of the Pension Clydesdale here:
A farmhouse takes a few miles away from the resort. The owner are very nice and it is obvious that they really take care of their customers (they didn't know that I was a travel blogger.)
Most importantly (at least for me): it was absolutely flawless. The bathroom are shared, but there is enough that they never wait and they keep them really clean.
The rooms are comfortable and warm, although I was not enthusiastic about the two two beds. They come with a thermal clothing cold water and access to the tea. There are also a small television that we have never switched on. The view from our window was a beautiful oneSnow -covered field.
Every evening, fill the bathtubs with steaming hot water so that the pension has its own private onsen.It may seem gross at first, but you get used to it - and if you soak your bones, you will not complain to this hot water!)
If you are worried about the fact that it is not the mountain, it is not that.Fast and the journey took less than five minutes.
The food that the pension of Clydesdale provides is the place where it is located. Breakfast is included in your room price and is delicious and fills.Coffee and fruit for dessert. Perfect fuel for a day on the mountain!
You also serve a dinner in retirement for 2,500 yen per person (25 US dollars). This initially sounded shockingly expensive, but after it had seen the prices in the lodge, it didn't sound like such a bad offer.
You serve an exquisite six-course menu: salad, fish, soup, meat, pasta and dessert. (The owner's mother was trained by Italian chefs.) It is delicious, but was almost too much food for us.There would have been a cheaper (and smaller) option!
Overall, the Pension Clydesdale was a nice place to linger. Service, Essen, Comfort and Comfort were all awarded - and at 15,000 yen/night (143 US dollars) for the room it was much cheaper than the resort (be warned:They do not accept credit cards. I know that Japan is a cash society, but that was a shock for me!)
Here are the links to thePension ClydesdalePresentBooking.com, AndAirbnb.
How to come to Rusutsu
The best and cheapest way to get to the island of Hokkaido is to fly. There is an overnight train from South Japan, but it takes a long time and is very expensive.
You may be able to bring flights from your home country directly to the new Chitose Airport in Sapporo, but you may be more expensive than flying into one of the capitals.
Be sure to check the cost/availability ofSkymark flightsBefore you book a little, they offer extremely cheap flights from the big cities in South Japan to Sapporo.
Our flight from Nagoya to Sapporo only cost $ 100 per person, and I flew from Tokyo a few years ago at the same price.
The key is to book your flights as early as possible. Skymark has a limited number of cheaper tickets and sells very quickly. In the cancellation/change guidelines are very forgiving, so just book something!
To get to the ski area from Sapporo Airport, you can take thatHokkaido Resort Liner. This plush bus offers service every few hours and costs 1,800 yen one-way ($ 18). You can make reservations online and pay via PayPal.
As soon as you are in Rusutsu, you don't need a car. There is really no city, and if you stay in a pension, you will go there anywhere. If you are not sent to drive in the snow and on the left side of the streetnot driving.
To travel from Rusutsu to the new Chitose Airport in Sapporo, you can take over the Hokkaido Resort Liner.
If you have an early flight the next day, you can stay in the overnight stayHotel in Sapporos AirportIt is a little more expensive than the budget hotels in the city center, but you will make it back in the train/U -Bahn fees and heads.
To travel from Rusutsu to Sapporo City, you have to take the public bus. Simply ask at the hotel's reception and you can arrange it for you. It costs about 20 US dollars.there are many budget options in the city center.
I had stayed in theMarks InnTwice and would recommend it; the rooms are tiny, but clean - and at 40 US dollars per night you cannot complain.
I hope that this has answered all the questions you may have for skiing in Rusutsu, Japan,! If you have others, please let them in the comments (so that everyone can benefit from it) or can be releasedcontact meImmediately.
You will never forget a skiing holiday in Rusutsu - although you are not angry with me if you don't want to drive anywhere else anywhere!
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