For this adhoc planned resort, we shortened our ride days to 4 days instead of 5 days if we are doing at Club Med.
Between Mei Mei's meltdown on day two, juggling my own snowboarding time, helping my beginner snowboarder wife, and coordinating pickup times for half day lessons.I learned that choosing the right mountain makes all the difference.
Mountain Comparison At-A-Glance
Feature | West Mountain | East Mountain |
|---|---|---|
Terrain Difficulty | More green runs, gentler red runs | More challenging reds, better gradient |
Beginner Suitability | Good but flat green runs | Less beginner-friendly |
Intermediate Suitability | Runs are short. | Red runs are pretty decent. |
Advanced Rider Appeal | 1 Black run that leads to the amusement park | Varieties in run. |
Proximity to Ski School | Main Kids lesson meeting point | Very trouble to bring kids over |
Crowd Level | Decent; At times crowded | The lift at steamboat cafe is very crowded. The rest are ok. |
Run Variety | Good for learners | Good for more advanced riders |
Flat Sections | Green runs are flat and narrow | The green runs are very long |
Family Convenience | Good convenience if staying at The Vales | Good convenience if staying at Westin |
The Logistics Nightmare Nobody Talks About
Let's be brutally honest about what it's actually like skiing Rusutsu with kids.
The nursery only accepts 19 kids. Advanced booking is definitely needed.
And those Instagram photos of perfect family moments on pristine powder? They conveniently crop out the equipment struggles, timing stress, and terrain frustrations that define the real experience.
The Reality of Staying at Different Locations
Our friends stayed at the Westin Hotel on East Mountain and faced a daily commute nightmare: taking the monorail to West Mountain every morning to drop their kids at ski school, then taking the gondola back to East Mountain if they wanted to ski there.
It added significant transit time to their day and made quick midday check-ins with their kids practically impossible.
Meanwhile, with Mei Mei being a first-timer, there was no way we could ski or ride down the slopes to reach the chairlift with her.
Our solution was driving to the ski lift area, which only took 2 minutes.
The Equipment Shuffle
On the evening before our first ski day, we attempted to walk our equipment to our practice spot and nearly died from the effort.
I had to carry my snowboard (thankfully my wife wasn't riding as she was giving Mei Mei warm-up practice), plus both kids' ski equipment, as we couldn't use the hotel lobby route.
My wife carried Mei Mei up the slopes to our hotel. It was absolute chaos.
After that experience, we quickly decided to drive in and drive out with Mei Mei, transporting all the gear by car. This might sound trivial, but when you're dealing with tired kids, heavy equipment, and snowy conditions, these logistical details make or break your vacation.
West Mountain: The Learning Ground
West Mountain At-A-Glance
Why West Mountain Works for Families
West Mountain became our home base mainly because of its proximity to where lessons started. With Loti scheduled for four full days of lessons and Mei Mei's adjusted schedule (full day, then two half days after her meltdown), we needed somewhere convenient and stress-free.
The Family Course worked well for our kids' lessons, though I will be writing a separate review on the ski school which, frankly, did not quite meet our expectations. The gentle slope is perfect for beginners, but I noticed the instructors did not progress the kids as quickly as they could have.
For my wife, the red slopes on West Mountain provided decent practice terrain without being too intimidating. However, the green runs were frustratingly flat, a common complaint among beginner snowboarders who struggle to maintain momentum on level sections.
East Mountain: The Brief Escape
East Mountain At-A-Glance
Our Day 3 Adventure
By day 3, after being confined to West Mountain, I was craving more variety. While my wife had gained enough confidence on her snowboard to try something new, we decided to venture to East Mountain for a run while Loti was in his full day lesson and before Mei Mei finished her half day session.
The runs here felt more interesting and less congested, but the timing constraints of having to return for Mei Mei's pickup meant we could not fully explore or relax. This is the reality of family skiing that nobody posts about, that constant eye on your watch, calculating if you have time for "just one more run" before you need to be back.
The entire round trip round, if you are really good, takes 2 hours.
I left the West Mountain cafeteria after lunch at 1.30pm and made it back at 4pm to pick Loti.
I lost my way, took 2 chairs lifts. Took alot pictures at Mount Isola Peak. And rushed back to take the Gondola to go back to West Mountain.
The East Mountain Reality
- The longer, more varied terrain was a welcome change from West Mountain's somewhat repetitive slopes
- The journey across to East felt like an expedition given our time constraints with lesson pickups
- We both agreed we would have spent more time here if our children's lesson schedule had been more flexible
The Strategic Family Approach
What Actually Worked For Us
For a mixed ability family like ours (more experienced snowboarder dad, beginner snowboarder mom, two kids in lessons), West Mountain was honestly the practical choice, even with its limitations. The convenience factor outweighed the desire for more exciting terrain.
If we could do it again:
Put Mei Mei in Nursery. She did learnt much ski at all.
Opportunity Loss:
- 1 x Full Day (21K JPY)
- 2 x Half Day Lessons (14K x 2 JPY) - She bailed out on 2nd and 3rd Day. Doing on 2 magic carpet ski run on day 3. So each ski run cost 7k JPY!
- Us to Rotate and Take care of Her (2 Days) (Utility Value : $200 Per Day)
- Back in Singapore, we sent her for Ski Stimulator Trial ($300)
Wasted sio!
Snowboarding While Flat Bits
The path from The Vales to the main lifts confirmed what many snowboarders fear: flat sections are the enemy. My wife quickly learned the important skill of keeping momentum on flat areas and the emergency one-foot shuffle when that failed.
These flat connectors were more challenging for her than actual slopes sometimes. Even for me, the flat narrow path is challenging when following the kids down the slopes.
They like to stop halfway. Then I will lose my momentum.
Then again it is still good fun to see kids learning well.
The Consolation
Well, we had our good share of fun and positive too.
- Shortened Ski Trip - Initially we intend to do 5 days Snowboarding. A change of resort , we shorten to 4 days with anticipation that MeiMei will bail out which she really did.
- Extra Shopping Day - The extra day became shopping! Who will reject a shopping day right?
- Self Cook at Resort - Saving some cost and having very delicious food as compared what resort food will offer. We had steak, a lot of marinated meat.
- Exploring Other Resorts - Having pampered by the service of Club Med, we obviously will avoid ala carte resorts with kids as much as possible. I would think The Vales offer alot of flexibility for families with kids as you can prepare your own dinner, dinner options are also plentiful. Convenience shops and supermarket at 10 mins away.
Final Thoughts
After four days at Rusutsu with two kids in ski school, a beginner snowboarder wife, and my own desire to progress my riding, here is my brutally honest advice:
- Lower your expectations about how much advanced riding you will actually get to do. With kids especially.
- West Mountain works better logistically for families but prepare for crowded, somewhat uninspiring runs
- Build in buffer time for everything, especially if you have a child who might have a meltdown (like our Mei Mei on day 2 and 3)
- The good moments make it worthwhile, when you do get that one perfect run or see your child actually enjoying their lesson
- Consider your accommodation location carefully, staying near where kids' lessons take place saves precious family vacation time and energy
For parents trying to balance their own snowboarding progression with their children's needs and a spouse who is learning, Rusutsu offers a workable compromise.
Not perfect, rarely relaxing, but still somehow worth it when you see your family making progress in the snow.