We did a couple of day trips to Rusutsu while staying in Kutchan town. We came for the tree runs and we definitely found what we were looking for. There seems to be nowhere off limits here and you can go anywhere in the trees between the lifts. Lots of deep powder and some decent steep parts. After the powder is tracked out the groomed runs hold up very well here so you can still bomb the pistes in late afternoon. Mount Isola on the east side only has reds, blacks and trees so the crowds stay away even on a busy day. There are so many different routes through the wide tree areas that you won’t get bored. And there’s no winding green runs back to the lift or flat spots so laps are quick. It’s also hard to lose your buddies as once you’ve chosen a tree run everything pretty much funnels down to one lift. The west mountain has all the green runs, resort facilities and luxury hotels but we didn’t even go over there as you can drive up instead of taking the gondola and park on the east side. If you dream of untracked runs and being alone in the trees in Japan, this is where you’ll find it. Will definitely be back here soon.
