 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm going to Hokkaido to ski in January and am debating if I should rent a car from CTS. We will be based in Niseko so the car will mainly be used to get us from CTS to Niseko and also in between Niseko and Rusutsu for some day trips. Will also be visiting Otaru for a day after skiing before returning the car.
Will a FWD with winter tyres be fine? Or will I need an AWD? I guess that depends on how icy it is and how quickly the road is clear.
We are a group of four people and with skis and luggage so will be looking for a minivan. For this particularly category most of the AWDs are gone and the remaining AWD vans are really expensive. So it's between a FWD van with winter tyres or getting to places by bus. Would also be interested to see how easy it is to get around by bus. I see there are some regular shuttles from CTS to Niseko and also between Niseko and Rusutsu.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I did two trips to Niseko solo and with a mate on the airport bus. Pretty good and cheap enough. Plenty of timing options.
The bus I used for Rusutsu leaves and returns from the Hirafu visitor centre, took about forty minutes or an hour. Arrived for first lift, departed after last lift and cost included the day ticket for Rusutsu. Great service and whichever travel option you choose a day or two in Rusutsu is a must. I didn’t sample Kirroro which I’m disappointed in myself with.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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So have just rented a SUV from Budget at the airport for late January. They still had minivans I think. Price not too bad. Just over £400 for 10 days.
My understanding is that all rentals on Hokkaido in the winter are AWD. For your plans agree that the bus is probably fine.
J
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Airport bus to Niseko great and regular. Whiteliner etc all good options. But these days you do need to book in advance - unlike years ago where there was always space. Train fun too and easy (one change). But then you do need the bus from Kutchan.
I'd say no car is best, as Rusutsu bus easy and good too.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| rogg wrote: |
I did two trips to Niseko solo and with a mate on the airport bus. Pretty good and cheap enough. Plenty of timing options.
The bus I used for Rusutsu leaves and returns from the Hirafu visitor centre, took about forty minutes or an hour. Arrived for first lift, departed after last lift and cost included the day ticket for Rusutsu. Great service and whichever travel option you choose a day or two in Rusutsu is a must. I didn’t sample Kirroro which I’m disappointed in myself with. |
Can you tell me the company you used for the Rusutsu bus?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Don’t know what the company was called that ran the Rusutsu bus, I booked the evening before based on forecast. There’s a car park on the way up the main drag pretty much opposite the quad lift in Hirafu, maybe a bit lower, it’s where the Whiteliner drops off, There’s a small shack there, you can book. Is it called the Hirafu Welcome centre?
IIRC As far as forecasting goes MikePow told me Snowforecast (snowguess) is a good indicator of which resort (Niseko vs Kirorro vs Rusutsu) would fare best in terms of snow, though the numbers are obviously not representative of what will fall.
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Agreed
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