Rusutsu

It has a large ski area that covers three mountains, each having a variety of long runs with a good mix of groomed trails, great powder and tree runs. It is located close to Lake Toya (Toyako) and is just on the other side of Mount Yotei from Niseko.

At the base of the ski slopes stand two large hotels, the Rusutsu Resort Hotel and the highrise Westin Rusutsu Resort. Several small pensions can be found in the nearby town center of Rusutsu. Besides skiing, Rusutsu Resort offers numerous other attractions, including restaurants and shops, pool facilities and hot spring baths. Summer activities include golf and an amusement park with over 60 attractions and 8 roller coasters.

Rusutsu Resort is located 90 minutes southwest of Sapporo and only a 90 minute drive from the New Chitose International Airport. There are shuttle buses between Rusutsu and the New Chitose Airport, and between Rusutsu and the city of Sapporo (booking available from October onwards).

Niseko is only 30-40 minutes away from Rusutsu Ski Resort and there are a few ground transport operators between the two resorts, or you can get from Niseko to Rusutsu for the day as part of a guided tour.

From Tokyo:
[Air] 1h 30 min from Haneda to New Chitose Airport, then multiple bus companies, including Hokkaido Chuo Bus, Niseko Bus and Hokkaido Access Network operate buses between Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport and Rusutsu. The one way trip takes about two hours and cost 2050 yen in case of Hokkaido Chuo Bus and Niseko Bus and 3500 yen in case of Hokkaido Access Network. Reservations are required. Most buses continue on to Niseko. Packages including lift tickets are available. Most of these buses operate only from December to early April.