Rusutsu Resort in Hokkaido has been enjoying excellent conditions since its opening in December. We shoot the slopes at Rusutsu every year, and this time our guest was Nakai Koji, a rider who leads the Japanese snowboarding scene. He is the only person to have a season pass to Rusutsu, so he knows the slopes very well. So how will Nakai enjoy Rusutsu to the fullest?
Photo: Neil Hartmann & Jimmy Okayama
Fast track to carve a line on the best groomed runs
Japan has been blessed with a lot of snowfall since December this season, and snowboarders are always smiling. Rusutsu is also experiencing some of the best conditions we've seen in recent years. The rider I photographed this time is Koji Nakai. This season,RED EYES' FILMShe has also appeared in the latest movie "RECCA" and is currently producing her own YouTube channel "Iraoja" He travels around the country to ski slopes, spreading the joy of a laid-back lifestyle and constantly bringing new topics to the ski scene.
I photographed Rusutsu with Nakai in mid-January. Unfortunately, there had been no significant snowfall in the days leading up to the shoot, and it didn't feel like there was a ton of fresh powder on the day itself, but I hope to share with you a day where we had a blast on the slopes, even in those conditions.
This time, we experienced Rusutsu's popular "Mt. Isola First Track" event. Normally, to reach the summit of Mt. Isola, you take the gondola and lift that departs from East Mt. at 9:00, but with this event, we took a bus to Isola from the hotel and boarded the Isola gondola at 8:45 (usually from 9:15), allowing us to ski before anyone else. On this day, we were the first to take to the groomed slopes that no one had yet skied on.


"The groomed snow at Rusutsu is really beautiful. There are hardly any unevenness in the joins, so you can make big turns with confidence. I think it's great that the grooming operators are local skiers. The first track, where you're guaranteed to get one or two cranes on such a superbly groomed run, was amazing."
Nakai shared his impressions of his experience on the fast track:



Ski down the three mountains of Rusutsu depending on how crowded they are.
After that, we took a few gondola and lift rides, and enjoyed carving on the groomed runs while the surface was still good. We asked Nakai, the only person with a season pass to Rusutsu, about his usual routine on the slopes.
"Recently, I've been going to West Mt. a lot to avoid the crowds. But when East Mt. and Isola are empty and I'm first in line to go to Isola, I head in that direction, and when I'm later in line, I ski hard on East Mt. before going to Isola. Rusutsu has three mountains, so I decide where to ski depending on how crowded it is that day."

Since last season, inbound tourists have been returning to Rusutsu. Therefore, choosing a place to ski efficiently while avoiding crowds seems to be important in enjoying a day out. Next, we asked about his favorite run.
"If I can get in early from the East Peak, I'll aim for the ungroomed 'Super East Course'. If it looks like it's too rough, I'll go into the trees in the back and try to mash while playing with the terrain on the 'Furikozawa Course', then I'll go up on the 'Isola No. 2 Quad' and go back into the stream in the forest. If I'm lucky enough to be the first to get there, I'll ski down Isola's 'Steamboat A Course' and then try to get the ungroomed snow on the 'Rusutsu No. 1 Course'."


Depending on the season and the flow of people, I sometimes go to Isola's A, B, and C runs. If I'm heading to Isola from the start, I'll take a lift that's faster than the gondola, but if there are a lot of people going in that direction, I'll shift my direction and ski in the valley below the East gondola, or if I want to avoid the crowds, West is also an option. On that route, I ride the West Tiger Pair, and go around the steep Tiger Course, Elite Course, and Forest Course, and occasionally ride the West No. 2 Quad. Actually, night skiing on West Mt. is pretty fun, too. Then I watch the snow conditions that day and choose a line to ski by shifting the crowds."
On this day's shoot, Nakai and the photographer managed to avoid the crowds, deciding on the best place to ski and choosing a line that they could enjoy comfortably.
Rusutsu has an interesting topography after all.
The shoot continued after that, and Nakai discovered a huge mash in the side country. He then showed off his freestyle riding skills using natural equipment. He also managed to get some stylish air through the trees, capturing some powder shots that he had almost given up on that day.



The group then headed to the Furikozawa Course, where new artificial banks have been added this season. This course usually has natural terrain and side hits scattered on the riders' right side, but this season an artificial bank was added to the left side and a gentle wave bank was added to the right side. Nakai had fun on both sides of the terrain with creative skiing, including jumps, slashes, and butters.
"The banks and terrain on this course mean you can have fun while you aim for the next course, which makes it even more fun. The side slopes of the waves have nice R's, so you can do laybacks and take advantage of that to do side hits."

▼Here's the follow-up video from that time!
After enjoying everything from carving first thing in the morning to the terrain and powder, Nakai had this to say about the feeling of the Rusutsu slopes:
"The side country of East and Isola has streams, but also a lot of mash, so I think these are mountains where you can ski freestyle in powder. It's not like you're doing one long run from the peak like in Niseko, but there are hit points scattered throughout the length of the middle slope. Compared to Niseko, you see a lot of finer terrain, so I like to ski freestyle while having fun playing around with that terrain. So I think Rusutsu has an interesting terrain. Besides mash and streams, there are also undulating terrain and walls. The Isola Grand Detour Course and Isola D Detour Course have walls all the way down the backside, so it's fun to ski there too. The courses also have a variety of gradients, from gentle ridge-like slopes to medium slopes and steep places. The places you go really change depending on the conditions on the day. So it's not like you're mainly freeriding, but you can also be conscious of freestyle riding, so I think a board like the one I had today, about 1 cm, which is a fun board that you can enjoy both."


Rusutsu is full of great snow, terrain, course variety and other attractions.
Based in Sapporo, he travels around the country in search of the best snow, and posts about it on his YouTube channel,Iraoja" not only introduces the charms of big resorts, but also local slopes. We asked Nakai about the charms of Rusutsu.
"It's the terrain and the snow. Also, compared to places like Niseko around here, it's crowded, but people still flow in and out. If you shift the flow of people around Rusutsu's three mountains, there are still plenty of places to ski. Also, Mt. Shiribetsu is next door, so if you think about aiming for that, your options are quite wide, so when I come here I'm always prepared to ski on the mountains. The conditions in Rusutsu have been really good this year. Even when the forecast doesn't say it's going to snow much, there are days when the live camera in the morning shows about 3 centimeters of snow and I'm like, 'Oh no, let's go.' That's why I always check the live camera in the morning. The camera is reset at 30pm, so I can see the snowfall situation after that, which is very helpful. Also, many of the courses here use the mountain's natural terrain, so the course layout is good overall, which is why I like it. Rusutsu is really full of various charms."

As Nakai explained, Rusutsu has a lot to offer for skiers, including the terrain, snow, and course variety. The resort is scheduled to be open until the end of March this season, and in the future, a permanent banked slalom course will be installed, and from March, snow skaters will be able to ride the East Quad on the East Tignes Course. We hope you will enjoy the best snowboarding at Rusutsu for the rest of the season.
SBN FREERUN Rusutsu Resort page here.