JP/SG/HK 2024 - Ups and downs!

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Great TR. Thanks for taking us on the journey.


I used to ski at Rusutsu in the mid-late 90s and loved it. Glad to see that the kitsch trappings of the hotel are all still in place! Though a bit sad to hear that it's getting "discovered" and therefore busier. My other go to place in that era was Kiroro. Incredibly reliable dry powder, few crowds and the prettiest scenery of anywhere I've skied in Japan.

Both fantastic resorts! I haven't been to Kiroro since I lived in Japan in 2015/16 and 2016/17 so can't comment on its slopes now. I did find it a little frustrating as a snowboarder given the long traverses but it is certainly a gem with the amount of snow it receives (Plus free lift passes made it hard to complain).

I fear Rusutsu is only going to get more busy over the next few years with the Epic partnership as well as the very weak yen. Perhaps it's time for some of the other resorts to up their advertisement game towards western audiences (ie Teine/Kokusai etc...).