evergrn

This is my ranking of all the runs I skiied, in order of difficulty.

Across B >> Rusutsu No.1 > Sky Course > Isola B > Dynamic = Elite > Giant >> Heavenly Ridge A.

Have you skiied Super East before? That trail looks suicidal to me. It's like Across B with 4x the length.

Chinatrvl

Across B is difficult when there's not enough snow. Fresh, knee deep powder right in the morning and it's a lot of fun.

We did super east once - long time ago when I was in good shape - and we were basically dead afterwards

Glad you enjoyed west mountain!

evergrn

I just found out that there is now a new ski resort called Lotte Arai Resort.
I need to read more about it, but it's supposed to have nice lift infractures, decent-length runs and upscale slopeside lodging along the lines of Hokkaido and N.America.

I guess it opened a year ago, so I don't know how I missed it. But I don't believe it's been discussed here yet.

5khours

Not a new ski resort.... just new owners. It's been through bankruptcy a few times and has been closed for quite a few years. Near Myoko. It's always been positioned as an upscale resort, but never quite made it. IMHO, an upscale resort needs international traffic to make it (for some reason skiing is not as affluent a sport in Japan as elsewhere.) Arai is too far from both Tokyo and Niigata airports, although Toyama airport might be a possibility if they had more international flights.

evergrn

I didn't realize it was previously open under a different management.
I've been doing a lot of reading up on this resort. It's definitely intriguing, as there are not many ski places in Honshu with high-end slopeside lodging, many long runs, and good lift infrastructure (ie, hooded high-speed). But looking at TA reviews and studying the trail map, this place isn't perfect either.

evergrn

HOTEL
- Stayed at Westin Rusutsu. Our room was a huge 2-floor suite with kitchen and 4 beds. I booked the cheapest category room and have no SPG status, so it's safe to say this is standard at this hotel. First time ever staying in a 2-floor suite. Must be very cost-inefficient to the hotel with room design that must be housekeeping nightmare. Yet very clean and well-kept.
- Ski-in/out? Sort of. To get to East/Isola side, you can push and skate on your skis to the Tower Pair Lift. From the hotel, it'd take ~2 minutes. My wife and kids found it easier to just walk and carry the skis, and it'd take them 4-5 minutes. Bit of a pain. To get to West side, you'd take the monorail which is slow and can take up to ~15min to arrive.
- Front desk much more professional and efficient than Kiroro SPG hotel.
- If you get dinner-inclusive plan, you can apply your dinner coupon towards any restaurant within the Rusutsu complex, including the Rusutsu Resort side which you get to by monorail. We had dinner buffet at Westin's Atrium one night, at Octoberfest on the other side the other night. Octoberfest had better selection of buffet, but Atrium overall had much better vibe and is the one we preferred.
- Breakfast buffet is also awesome. Opens at 7am (which I think is too late), and it's packed solid by 7.30am.
- I knew this, but the public bath here is not real onsen here anymore. Having said that, it is a fairly large area with large capacity and especially the outdoor rotenburo is really nice. However, this was one of the most crowded hotel public baths I've been to. No idea why it was so crowded. I went at like 10pm. Due to way too many people, I couldn't enjoy it.
- Logistics of skiing before check-in and after check-out is made relatively easy by the availability of many luggage carts and very good luggage/cloak service (much better than Kiroro Tribute's). However, unlike Kiroro Tribute, Westin only provides lockers for hotel guests (ie, no lockers to use before check-in or after check-out).

SKIING - GENERAL
- I should note that we only did intermediate and diamond runs, strictly on-piste.
- We went on weekdays in Feb. Most we ever waited in lift queue was for a few minutes for Isola 4 Quad. Otherwise, pretty much zero wait.
- If you get as lucky as we did weather-wise, the view is just out of this world. I've gone skiing elsewhere in Jpn (although not Niseko), Whistler, Mammoth, Utah... the view does not get better than Rusutsu.
- We went when there had been minimal fresh snowfall and the temp was generally around freezing point. First day (coldest day) had decent powdery condition on-piste, although nothing like the deep powder at Kiroro in Dec. By third day (warmest day), the snow was pretty packed although still not horrible like Whistler.
- Ungroomed runs here have some serious moguls. I didn't try crazy runs like Super East, but Across B, Sky Course and Rusutsu No.1 had some intense moguls that really make you sweat.
- Isola Gondola was closed (and so was the cafeteria at the bottom of Isola Gondola). This had minimal impact as far as getting around the mountain, since Isola 2 Quad was a very good substitute. However, I think this contributed to Steamboat cafeteria being insanely crowded.
- Majority foreigners here. More N.Americans than Aussies actually, which was a surprise. At Kiroro, most foreigners were Asians. Here, foreigners were majority westerners. Most Westerners are well-behaved at hotels and cafeterias, but I have to say they tend to be aggressive on the slopes and at lift stations. At Whistler, I'm sort of used to it. But in Jpn, these behaviors sort of stand out. I was just about to get on a quad lift alone (no queue) when a group of 3 Americans came up out of nowhere at the last second to hop on the lift with me. Why? They proceeded to yak away in English about this and that, talking over me as I sat in the middle. I know they thought I was a Jpnese or Chinese who didn't speak English. They were saying how it's a problem that too many people don't speak English there.
- Only went to Steamboat cafeteria, but it was insanely crowded from 11a-1p. You could never score a table to yourself. Again, this may have been because Isola base station cafeteria was closed. Also it did not help that a large group of Japanese high school kids was there during our week.
- Ski area food was actually high-quality (or so said my family... I did not partake), better than other places we've been to. Ramen 1000y, omurice ~1200y, chicken karaage 450y... these are not bad prices. Plenty of vending machines, too.
- Although lift infrastructure was very good, I couldn't understand why they laid the lifts the way they did. Location of East Gondola 1 station on West Mtn side makes no sense. It drops you off at the bottom of a short but fairly steep hill and you have to walk up it in ski boots after you get off the gondola. This hill is steep enough that I almost slid down while trying to go up it and saw other people struggle also. Once you get past that, you can go left to head towards West Gondola (additional short walk) or walk a really long ways towards the right to get to West 2 Quad. Why didn't they have the East Gondola 1 go a bit further up the mountain so that one could then ski down to either West Gondola or West 2 Quad from there? Why doesn't West Tiger Lift start 20 meters lower, so that folks coming off Dynamic course don't have to walk up hill to get to it. Also, why does Tower Pair Lift take you to the middle of nowhere? Why doesn't it go right to Westin instead?
- Order of difficulty amongst Intermediate runs I skiied: Steamboat A > East Tinyu > Isola C > Steamboat B > Isola D > East Vivaldi > Isola Gran > Ridge B > Heavenly View
- Order of difficulty amongst Diamond runs I skiied: Across B >> Rusutsu No.1 > Sky Course > Isola B > Dynamic = Elite > Giant >> Heavenly Ridge A

EAST MTN
- Not the most exciting area.
- Highlight: The top part of East Tinyu before Across A drops off to the right, although keep in mind that area is one of the busiest in all of Rusutsu and also a bit narrow.
- East Vivaldi is cool in that it is so wide and there's hardly anyone there.
- Across B was seriously hard, with insane moguls on a pretty steep incline.
- Lowlight: Both East Tinyu (after Across A starting point) and East Vivaldi (basically the lower 1/2-2/3) end disappointingly in very long beginner terrain, although not as bad as Kiroro where it's so flat you struggle to make it to the bottom.

ISOLA/STEAMBOAT AREA
- Best part of the resort for me.
- Highlight: Everything off Isola 2 Quad is really cool. Isola Grand to Isola C or D has nice intermediate gradient all the way through, well-groomed, wide. Isola B has gradient that's manageable for advanced intermediate, but it goes on for quite a distance at a pretty consistent ~25degrees with moguls, so no walk in the park. Steamboat A and B are both long satisfying runs; A starts out wide, but gets a bit narrower and busier in some places in the lower half and offers a few curves and nice terrain variations; B sort of meanders through but quite enjoyable nonetheless.
- Rusutsu No.1 was a pretty challenging course for me. Pretty damn steep with moguls. Wasn't enough to pee my pants, but once was enough.

HEAVENLY AREA
- Did not ski Heavenly Canyon but, based on runs off Isola 4 Quad, this area was nice but can get boring after a while.
- Highlight: Heavenly Ridge A was my favorite. Rated as a single diamond, but I think it should be Intermediate; it's steeper than your average intermediate, yet appeared to be groomed with no moguls; really a fun run that you can do over and over.
- Heavenly Ridge B is also fun but is sort of lower-intermediate. Heavenly View is really a beginner's trail.

WEST MTN
- As Chinatrvl said, the runs over here are shorter but can be quite satisfying. I wish I had spent a bit more time over here. I did not try Bambi or Ever btw.
- Highlight: Giant! One of my favorite runs actually. Wide course with decent steepness without moguls and the cool thing is that you are greeted by amusement park rides at the bottom of the run.
- Elite is another short but decent groomed Diamond run.
- Lowlight: Lifts and trails are laid out in a rather disorganized fashion. It's a serious problem that the 3 lifts/gondola start from different places at the bottom of the hill. East Gondola 1 (coming from East Mtn) dumps you off at a seriously bad spot, as described above. Top of West Gondola is problematic in that there's such narrow real estate up there for a bunch of people to get their skis on. Rainbow Course from the top is rated green, but it is difficult to tell where/how that course starts. Apparently I went off-piste up there because I didn't know where the course was, and I ended up taking a spill after going over a series of mini bumps followed by a mini launching pad of packed ice.

OVERALL
Loved this place. It's really an intermediate's paradise. Lift tix and rentals expensive, though... it's priced way above Jpn standards. But what can you do? They market towards foreigners and everything's priced like it. Westin is fabulous. Hotel buffet very good. But it does lack a real natural onsen.

evergrn

I was back up at Whistler recently. Such massive terrain compared to Jpn (although I've never skiied Niseko or Hakuba), you just never get bored. Rusutsu was great although it takes but a day to conquer most of it (part of it is due to there being no lift queues).

But at Whistler, I'm just getting more and more annoyed by abysmal customer service, loud obnoxious visitors, and bar-like atmosphere everywhere. Australians in Jpn are sedate and well-behaved off the slopes but, in Whistler (and I wonder if it's the same in Banff and Breckenridge) they need to tone it down. I'm trying to have dinner with kids at our 4-star hotel's restaurant, but there's a throng of people from the bar next door spilling over into the restaurant space talking super-loud and cursing, and the restaurant's very young manager and the servers (who're basically still kids) are just letting things go as is. I'm walking in the village carrying skis on my shoulders, and an Australian dude (he's just some guy) scolds me for doing that... yeah I understand, but there're so many other people doing the same and it's not like I'm doing that while standing in the gondola line. I buy a few things at a grocery store, I tell the Australian cashier I'd like a small bag, and he tells me to just stick them in my pockets instead.

Sorry, just venting here. At the same time, I'm expressing how much I miss the ski experience in Jpn. Yeah the terrain in Jpn is incomparably small compared to Whistler and Breckenridge. But you're only on the slope 7hrs max and you want the remaining hours to be quality time, which is what you get in Jpn.

Cynicor

Never been to whistler but terrain at hakuba is large but not traversable without a car/transport. Niseko is much more connected and larger but I think still doesn't compare. Give it a little while as they are over-developing the place.
Aussies in Japan are mostly fine but they are exactly what you hate about Whistler when in Niseko and Hakuba so maybe best to avoid those places, especially around Australia Day (Jan 26th). the rest of your issues sound pretty aussie too. We're very much moving against bags here so that would be expected. Not quite a service culture!

evergrn

Duke787

We're looking to go back to Japan to ski next March but trying to figure out the best place to go (and big bonus if we have access to an onsen at the hotel -- stayed at the Hilton Niseko when we went in 2015 and loved that aspect).

Last time we went in early March to Niseko and it was great but this year due to work schedules we can't leave the US until March 14th at the earliest so we are looking at mid-March. Obviously no one here can predict the weather but based on past seasons what is the safest bet that time of year? Go back to Niseko? Head to Hakuba? Others?

We fall firmly in the intermediate ski group -- powder is nice but more want to ensure there will be actual snow to ski on and not just a mountain of ice and slush.

evergrn

If you're intermediate, you'll love Rusutsu. I really think they have the best collection of long intermediate runs in Jpn to go along with fantastic Whistler-caliber lift infrastructure. You'll see my detailed report upthread. However, they don't have real onsen at Rusutsu, and Westin's communal bath area with heated regular water gets really jampacked with people. Also, around mid-March is when Rusutsu typically closes some of the courses on the West side, including my favorite Giant.

I've only skiied Rusutsu and Kiroro. But I've stayed at Niseko Hilton several times. I've studied the trail map of every Hokkaido resort extensively. I'm convinced that, for intermediate, Niseko, Rusutsu, Kiroro and Furano are the best hills. The first two stand out. At Kiroro, you've got 6 intermediate runs that are >1000m long. Out of those, 1 is more like beginner and 3 are horribly flat at the bottom. There's a diamond run from the top of gondola that's more like high-intermediate that you should be able to handle. Lift infrastructure at Kiroro is awesome,on par with Rusutsu.

Kiroro's Tribute Hotel has real onsen, but the onsen quality is subpar compared to Niseko Hilton imo. Kiroro and even Westin Rusutsu do not have ski valet service like they offer at Hilton Niseko. Furano... I've only been there during the summer and, although I've not stayed at the hotel there, I would keep expectations low whenever you have to stay at a Prince Hotel (outside of Sakura Towers, Gallery Kioicho and Karuizawa).

Snow-wise, anything is possible, but based on history, I wouldn't worry about there not being enough snow in mid-March. Both Kiroro and Niseko have consistently had 300cm or more snow in mid-March every year in the past ~5years. However, as mentioned above, Rusutsu will start closing some of their runs around that time to start preparing their summer amusement park. I went to Kiroro last March... tons of snow, but I must say the snow quality was not powdery like it was when I went back this past Dec.

Cynicor

Duke787

Thank you both. I'll explore the other Hokkaido options -- thoughts on Nagano? Or should I just pass on that for March and stick with Hokkaido?

For this year, Hilton released Niseko award nights about 3 months ahead so will do my best to be patient on that front if Niseko wins again

Cynicor

evergrn

Are you including places like Happo One and Nozawa Onsen also?
It seems like snowfall and average March snow depth at those places are about the same as Niseko.