Lifts & Terrain
Rusutsu Ski Resort
Rusutsu sounds small at only 170 hectares, but the resort only counts the piste in this statistic. Considering that off-piste skiing is permitted at Rusutsu the skiable terrain is significantly bigger. The extensive off-piste terrain through the trees is a powderhounds' paradise. The abundant powder is the highlight of the ski terrain at
Rusutsu, and remarkably the resort is still unknown (relative to the juggernaut of Niseko) so there are generally plenty of freshies on offer.
The resort is spread across three peaks: West Mountain; East Mountain; and Mt Isola. West Mountain is fairly small and is ideal for beginners and park riders. East Mountain is only accessible via a gondola ride and is also best suited to beginner and intermediate skiers and boarders. East Mountain and Mt Isola are interconnected via the slopes. Mt Isola is the pick of the bunch for powderhounds with delightful runs through the trees.
Rusutsu Lifts
The lift infrastructure at Rusutsu is amazing with 19 lifts including 4 gondolas and 7 fast quad chairs. These have hoods, making it a pleasant ride up the mountain even on those cold minus 20 days.
Lift Tickets
A one day lift ticket costs 5,100 yen for an adult and 2,550 yen for a child (2011 rates). Discounts apply on multi-day tickets. There are also single lift ride tickets available. Prices for these vary between the standard chairs, quad chairs and gondolas.
Rusutsu Snow and Weather Conditions
Hokkaido ski resorts seem to have a lot of trouble when it comes to measuring snowfall and Rusutsu is no exception, maybe because there’s too much to measure!? Sources cite the average annual snowfall as 8.5 metres, or 14 metres or 15 metres per season. Regardless of the real amount, it’s well known that it snows a lot at Rusutsu! Overnight dumps of 20-40cm are quite common and the powder is light and dry, in part due to cold temperatures.
The Siberian weather patterns that bring the fabulous snow also bring the wind and the minus 20 degrees celsius temperatures. Even though it's often cold, having to dress warmly is a small price to pay for powder that is even better than "champagne powder". Thermals, a neck warmer, face protection, and even a hat (or headband) under your helmet are likely to be required. Brrrr.... Thank goodness many of the lifts are nice and warm.
As to be expected, the snow conditions vary somewhat depending on the slope orientation. In the Isola area the slopes with a more northerly aspect are often paradise, whilst the other side of the ridges can be a bit crunky.
Terrain for Beginners
Complete novices can start at the base of the West Mountain which has the convenience factor of being within close proximity of the Rusutsu Resort Hotel. The Salomon Debut Snow Park is a dedicated learning area that has a magic carpet and a really gentle slope. Beginners can then progress onto the green slopes off the West No. 1 quad chair lift.
The base area of the East Mountain also has a nice learners’ area. Other green trails on the mountain require a short descent on a red run, so exploration of the rest of the ski resort should only be undertaken by confident beginners.
Rusutsu Ski Terrain for Intermediates
Rusutsu is really ideal for intermediate skiers and boarders with some of the best manicured runs ever seen. Intermediates have 40% of the piste and if you only want to ride in the toasty warm gondolas, there is still a large range of terrain on offer.
The best run is the Isola Grand (on Mt Isola), a 3.5km long run that has consistent fall-line and is perfectly groomed. Often there are deep powder stashes to the sides of the piste which are ideal for intermediates wishing to experiment with powder for the first time. Of course there are also days where the groomers are covered in a foot of snow, so intermediates will have to learn to love powder. How could they not?
For the Family and Kids
Rusutsu is a great mountain for families. Near the base of West Mountain near the hotel is a large kids’ park. The park is an exclusive area for children that has magic carpet serviced novice trails, a tubing course, sledding course, and playground equipment.
Terrain Park
Rusutsu has a small terrain park at the base of West Mountain that is illuminated for night riding. The terrain park features various hits for differing abilities including kickers, boxes, rails and waves.
Advanced Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Rusutsu has various black and double black piste runs that are sometimes covered in egg carton shaped bumps. The single blacks are short so if you blink you may miss them. The double blacks are adequately challenging for advanced riders, but they’re not the sort of double blacks that are found in North America that get the pits and palms sweaty. For advanced skiers and boarders, off-piste is where it's all at.
Expert Skiing and Snowboarding
If you are looking for steep chutes and extreme skiing, Rusutsu is probably not the place for you. In amongst the trees you’ll find the occasional drop-off for some hucking, or a really steep pitch that lasts for one or two turns, but that’s about it.
Rusutsu Off-Piste Skiing and Tree Skiing
Heaven, heaven, heaven! When the snow is on (which it frequently is), Rusutsu is nirvana on earth for powder skiers and powder novices. Because the terrain is not incredibly steep, it is relatively easy to navigate the trees (don’t forget your helmet though!).
At Rusutsu they are relatively relaxed about skiing through the trees as long as you stay within the resort boundaries. There are some backcountry opportunities, but there is so much in-bound terrain within the trees that you might not need to venture out of bounds.
Some of the best powder and tree skiing is between the lifts on Mt Isola. For lazy powderhounds, the best thing about Rusutsu is that you can get off the lift at the top of the mountain and ski the fall-line through the trees all the way to the bottom of a lift with minimal traversing, and absolutely no hiking.