4 replies to this topic

[biri island]

hi all ,
this is my first post , usually ski furano / asahikawa area but this time i want to look at rustsu . now my questions , has any one out there stayed at the rusutsu annex or travelodge [ no not the n / s wings or tower ]? if yes would it be suitable for a family , 2 adults and 2 kids ?
we have never skiied or boarded niseko ? would we be better off staying there and doing a day trip to rusutsu ?
the ski / board rental guys [aussies] in furano reckon we are mad to leave the asahikawa area ? these guys have worked in niseko in the past !!!!!

[blu]

Rusutsu is our favourite resort (the lift capacity is greater than the hotel capacity).
The Travel Lodge looks pretty good, although we always stay in the hotel. It's got the Mongolian BBQ next to it. Biggest problem at Rusutsu is being "locked into" the hotel restaurants. Get a meal plan otherwise it's very expensive. There is a Seico Mart accross the road.
But for us 5 nights is the maximum we handle that Disney styled hotel. Then back to Kamui & kitataisetsu

[Go Native]

Well it all comes down to the experience you're after. Niseko is obviously a lot busier than Rusutsu and there's a lot more foreign skiers than you'd be used to at any other Hokkaido resort. Rusutsu does get some great snow, not as much as at Niseko but there's a lot less people skiing off piste meaning more chance of freshies all day long. Rusutsu is not that large though and a few days there would be more than enough to ski just about every good area numerous times. Rusutsu is only 45mins from Niseko which is a much larger resort. So I'd suggest something like 4 nights Niseko and 3 in Rusutsu or are you staying longer than a week?
Temperatures in both resorts are not as cold as up around Asahikawa and the snow can be slightly heavier but Niseko especially does get a lot more frequent snowfalls than up in the centre of the island. Either way it'd be good for you to try something different!

[biri island]

thanks blu , will be staying at the terminal hotel , asahikawa [then furano] , in january , will try for kitataisetsu as powderhounds give this place a wrap .
we head back to japan in feb. / march so will have a look at rusutsu , maybe niseko also . got the prices on the annex and travelodge from last year . 11,000 yen for adults and 7,000 yen for kids , includes breakfast and dinner [ plus the wave pool etc ] . seems they only offer this to the japanese market ? its never ever mentioned on their english site . this years prices come out in october .
thanks again blu .

[biri island]

thanks go native , we will probably look at both rusutsu and niseko for a change in late feb / early march .
i notice you are in the travel game so is it best to wait till feb for good late season accommodation deals ?