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Resort

Rusutsu Ski Holidays

Japan

Rusutsu powder trees volcano backdrop © Grant Gunderson
Voted Japan's Best Ski Resort 2025 in the World Ski Awards, Rusutsu ski holidays are a quirky, powder-filled paradise - great on their own or as part of a longer trip in Hokkaido.
  • Once-in-a-Lifetime
  • Off the Beaten Track
  • Powder
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced

Around 14 metres of fresh powder falls on this resort each year. Add to this the exceptionally good inbound tree skiing and side country - expanding the total ski area to 4,200 acres - and you see why ski holidays in Rusutsu are so popular among powder skiers.

With a backdrop of volcanoes and blue lakes, the ski area covers three mountains: East, West and Isola. Connected by a gondola, most of the skiing is on East Mountain, and the slopes can be blissfully quiet on weekdays. For freestyle fans, the terrain park is excellent, while beginners and children have dedicated zones for learning.

Most resort facilities are based at the quirky Rusutsu Hotel, with its Bavarian village and singing tree. Here, there are 11 or so restaurants and bars, as well as classic Japanese onsens (hot springs) and a wave pool.

Rusutsu is a fantastic place to spend a few days or include as a day trip from Niseko (an hour away). Whilst smaller than Niseko, Rusutsu is still Hokkaido's 2nd-largest stand-alone ski resort. We recommend three to four days here, rather than a whole week.

"A quirky resort with quiet slopes and phenomenal tree runs, Rusutsu is blessed with a 14 meter snow average so its powder laps for days."

Our Prices

Every holiday is tailor-made, just for you.

To give you the most choice and best value, we create every holiday from scratch. This means that the quotation you receive is unique, based on your preferred departure dates, group size and holiday preferences.

We save you time and get the most for your money.

We do all the hard work for you, sifting through the prices and promotions for every airline, hotel and resort, exploring all options. We don’t publish all our prices online, just enough to give you an idea of costs.

Rusutsu Ski Offers

See our Rusutsu offers for some excellent savings and superb package prices.

Giving you the best available prices, these offers are based on our lowest cost departure dates. We can save you money on many other dates and properties but we can't show every single offer here - for more options, please call us on 01273 224060 or request a quotation.

Resort-wide promotions

Resort Guide

Season
December to April
Nearest airport
Sapporo Chitose
Transfer time
2 hours
Transport
Transfer
Elevation
994 m
Vertical drop
594 m
Ski area
1,378 acres
Ski lifts
18
Runs
37
Grade
30% advanced 40% intermediates 30% beginners

Customer Reviews

What our customers say about Rusutsu.

Excellent quirky hotel,very good skiing
Robert Lane
17th March 2025
We really liked it because there was sufficient skiing to keep us occupied for the week and it felt more authentically Japanese than Niseko (visited on day trip). The resort hotel arrangement was unique/memorable. We jokingly said it was like a cross between the big hotel in The Shining and Disney's Europe at Epcot. We loved it! Lots of dining options.
Lurence McGlenn
15th April 2024
After skiing in Niseko for 7 days, Rusutsu took everything that was great about Niseko and put it into a quieter and even better connected ski area. The tree skiing was a real highlight.
Murray Fox
28th February 2024
Tree lined quiet pistes. Good variety of slopes from beginner to expert.
Hilary Jeffrey
20th March 2023
Good snow, great for those who want to practice on black runs. Many are very short. Lovely scenery from the top of peaks. Experienced skiers can do all runs on 2dy, best for a short break
Sally Lund
16th March 2023
Excellent skiing resort.
Duncan Angwin
4th March 2020
Great skiing but limited area.
Chris Gilbertson
26th February 2020
The main resort hotel complex was a strange place, almost a Japanese version of Center Parks crossed with a bit of Disney. Interesting for 2-3 days, but wouldn't recommend a longer stay. We only really skied Mount Isola and East Mountain, which we found had good pistes and a fair range of tree skiing ranging from early introduction stuff on the far left of piste map, getting more advanced as you m…
Colin Weeks
19th February 2020
Remote location in terms of any surrounding facilities and non-hotel restaurants. Good tree skiing for our ability. Good number of restaurants on the hill.
Jane Black
19th March 2019
A good range of terrain all with stunning views on a clear day. Great snow. Second time in this resort and would certainly return.
Sally and Steve Jones
17th March 2019

Insider Tips

See our latest Rusutsu blog posts.

Whistler Blackcomb November Snow 2025 © Matt Sylvestr
6th November 2025  -  Rollo Squire
Ski Resort Opening Dates 2025/26 - The Snow is Falling!
Wax your skis and boards, dig out your ski jacket and check your passport expiry date - the 2025/26 ski season is finally here! The snow is falling thick and fast, especially in North America, where some resorts are already open. Everything is pointing to an unforgettable winter - here's all you need to know about where the snow is falling and when the lifts start spinning.
Snowboarder in Hemsedal © Kalle Hägglund
2nd December 2023
The Snow Just Keeps Coming...
We're no longer talking about dustings of snow... we're talking huge, metre-plus snow dumps providing all-time opening conditions in many resorts.
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