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So I think that I have narrowed my choices of this winter season down to Furano, Niseko, Rusutsu or Hakkoda.

 

I have been looking and reviews and all that but it's still hard to know what each place has to offer.

 

Furano, how's the off-pist. And I heard that it's easy to take day-trips to good places around. Is it good enough for three months? How is it compared to Niseko?

 

Rusutsu, any comments?

 

Hakkoda, restricted off-pist? It seems to be a nice place.

 

I've been reading a lot about these places but I feel a bit confused dance

 

help, advice, tips.. anything?

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I can only vouch for Niseko and judging from the many awesome days skiing that I have enjoyed in Niseko I can only say that if you choose Niseko then you can look forward to some really great off-piste powder and some equally good pisted terrain where high speed turns are the order of the day.

 

Niseko all the way for me!!

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I heard that Niseko is good, but it would be fun to stay at some place a little smaller. or, a little more japanease.

 

how is it with long-time stay in Niseko? what would be the best way to stay? smile

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I've been to all of those places except for Rusutsu.

 

Furano is cold and beautiful but you can get tired of it if you are going to stay 3 months. However there are other resorts near the area so you can take day trips. I wouldn't get a season pass at furano. As for back-country, no allowed off-piste in furano, however Asahidake is not that far away, and there's great backcountry there. If you have your own means of transport Furano might be your best choice. By the way, Furano has a nice Japanese town vibe to it, that niseko doesn't.

 

Niseko is a bit flat for my taste, but back-country options are very varied. If you are not very advanced skier/rider it might keep you happy.

 

Hakkoda is powder heaven, but hakkoda is not a resort, it's just for back-country enthusiasts. Also accomodation in Hakkouda is scarce and expensive, and there's no town in Hakkouda, just the place where you stay, the onsens and the mountains. Nice place to get away from everything though.

 

My personal choice wouldn't be any of those resorts though. Nagano resorts are more fun in my opinion, especially if you are going to be staying 3 months.

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If backcountry is what you are into then there will be fresh powder available. I define backcountry as hiking to get to the powder.

 

Simple lift accessed off piste can give you good powder. However resorts that have become extremely popular get the lift accessed powder tracked out almost instantly. Untracked powder is a valueable comodity and its availability has an inverse relationship with the number of people at the resort.

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Niseko is a really fun place in winter. I've been living here over 3 years now and I'm still finding new places to ski. The backcountry is vast and Rusutsu is only 40 mins away. I've been skiing over 20 years and consider myself a fairly advanced skier and I'm not bored one bit by the terrain in Niseko (I think coldcat doesn't know the mountain all that well). Sure if all you want to do is jump off massive cliffs and ski 40 degree+ slopes then you may find Niseko a little tame but the quality of the powder generally makes up for it. If you don't want to be surrounded by foreigners the whole time then stay in Annupuri or Higashiyama or down in Kutchan instead of Hirafu. Anyway unless your Japanese is pretty good you'll appreciate being in a place where english is widely spoken (I know I do).

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Why not do a month and a half on Hokaido then travel down to Honshu and explore there for a month and a half? Travel isn't that difficult and you will be guaranteed not to get bored

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I think I have decided what to do (ee, for tonight. will probably change my mind..)

 

Start in Tokyo (new years). Niskeo for jan and little of feb. Then Hakuba mars. Maybe squeeze furano in before, depending on travel options and accommodation.

 

Tips on good places to stay in Niseko, Furano (alpine backpackers?) and Hakuba?

 

soo much snow on such a short time! :]

 

Thanks!

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Rusutsu is a "one hotel resort", so there is not much to do when you are not on the snow. If you're only there for the snow, it's a great place.

 

Niseko and Furano both are towns, so there will be more night life and dining choices.

 

Not sure about Hakkoda.

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As mentioned elsewhere in these forums, Furano is an actual town, with a very nearby ski field. The two are a bit of a walk apart (about 15 minutes) and that makes for a good diferentiation.

 

Furano ski resort groom the piste to within inches of the ropes that mark "out of bounds". They are very thingy about people who duck under ropes into out of bounds. If caught, you risk losing your lift pass.

 

A good day trip from Furano is to Kamui Ski Links where the resort are much more relaxed about where you ski. Kamui has no accommodation, so you'll have to stay somewhere else and travel in. (Asahikawa is nearest big place).

 

No matter where you go, you are almost guaranteed to have a good time, find some fabulous powder and have plenty to talk about for a while to come!

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