Niseko
Pros: Relatively large resort, great snow, great runs, lots of places to eat, lots of apres-ski, shuttle buses (free with All Mountain Passes), easy to get to from Sapporo
Cons: Relatively crowded, doesn't feel like you're in Japan (lots of Australians), pizza wasn't that good, relatively expensive.
We had a good time skiing in Niseko but found it to be a bit noisy and touristy for our tastes.
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Furano
Pros: Awesome snow, good size resort, very cute ski town, can get to downtown easily for more dining options, beautiful scenery, cheap, not crowded
Cons: Runs aren't that challenging- an intermediate skier would have little to no problem skiing the whole mountain, no off-piste.
Furano is probably our favorite resort. The amazing snow coupled with such an idyllic setting really makes it a winter wonderland on the slopes and off. Que romantic! (The most romantic are views are from the top of the mountain, of course. They even have a run called "Romance.")
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Rusutsu
Pros: Large resort, great snow, close to Sapporo, easy to get to, some challenging runs, interesting atmosphere (carousel inside the hotel with a strange fairytale European theme)
Cons: No off-piste, hard to find accommodations
Rusutsu is in our top 3 favorite resorts. It's close enough to Sapporo that we can take a day trip, had awesome snow every time we went there, and has some very fun runs. It is a bit more lively than our other two favorite resorts (Furano and Tomamu) but still not very crowded at all.
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Tomamu
Pros: Large resort, great snow, off-piste allowed (even has a separate area that you have to hike to but we haven't tried it), beautiful scenery, not crowded
Cons: Far from Sapporo, accommodations are limited (but we found a great place to stay and highly recommend it), we heard off-piste area may not be worth the hike
Tomamu is another of our favorite resorts. We stayed at Pension Ingu (http://personal.furano.ne.jp/ing/) where we were able to dine on delicious Hokkaido deer meat (except Ryan of course). Just like Furano, the peaceful atmosphere really makes this resort a great ski getaway. I just keep remembering the beautiful trees decked out in powder snow and glistening icicles.
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Kamui Links
Pros: Good snow, not crowded, long runs, can take a side trip from Furano, cheap
Cons: Small, must go to Furano or Asahikawa first then catch a shuttle to Kamui (shuttle was more expensive than we thought it was going to be)
This is one of the smaller resorts here and it's very bare bones. No big grand hotel. No bells and whistles. It was like a community slope. But that doesn't mean it wasn't awesome. I would love to have lived near this mountain. Would probably go here again. I can't remember if off-piste was allowed or not.
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Onze
Pros: Close to Sapporo, easy to get to, unique ocean view, cheap
Cons: Small, very few runs
Onze is more like a beginner's mountain. In fact, many of my students take lessons at this resort. The view of the ocean from the top of this mountain is pretty breathtaking though. Onze is one of the first resorts to open: it opens on 11/11 hence the name onze (11 in French).
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Sapporo Kokusai
Pros: Close to Sapporo, easy to get to
Cons: Relatively crowded, small, windy (perhaps the weather was just bad that day)
This seems to be a pretty popular resort. We went on a day when it was windy and seemed a bit packed. I think this was our first time skiing in Japan. We've gone on to bigger and better pastures.
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Sapporo Teine
Pros: Within city limits, good runs, cheap
Cons: Snow is not as good as farther resorts
Teine is a good mountain- it has to be since it is Olympic ground! It's actually pretty close to us. I have a score to settle with the "experts only" course at this place so I definitely want to go back soon. Fun mountain.
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Kiroro
Pros: Close to Sapporo, good runs, fresh melon bread, cute two seater lifts
Cons: Snow isn't so great
I wasn't that impressed on my first trip to Kiroro and it took me awhile to warm up to it the second time I went. The snow wasn't as good as we are used to around here but it's a better option over Kokusai and Bankei.
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Bankei
Pros: Within city limits, cheap, nice night view of the city
Cons: Small, snow is not as good as farther resorts
This is a very small city resort. Nothing much to write home about. Perhaps a good practice mountain.
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Transportation:
White Liner (http;//www.goodsports.co.jp/)
Hokkaido Resort Liner (http://www.acess-n.jp)
Chuo Bus (http://www.chuo-bus.co.jp)
JR trains (http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/index.html)
