If you’re an adventure traveler, it’s tempting to stick to warm-weather destinations. But don’t be so quick to rule out a cold weather trip, especially one as epic as Japan. No matter your level of skiing or snowboarding, after a few days here you’ll be reaching for a beanie instead of a swimsuit for your next adventure trip.

Japan is home to more than 500 ski resorts. That’s nearly double what you’ll find in the US. The most epic of those resorts are on Japan’s north island of Hokkaido. This is where you’re going to discover those places you thought only existed on Instagram. Places that receive a whopping 42 feet of snow on average each year.

Recently, our friends Sandra and Michaela flew from Colorado to meet us in Japan and we made the trek to Hokkaido’s Rusutsu Resort. We were prepared (and excited) for the quantity of snow we’d heard Rusutsu receives during January and February, but it was the seriously accessible tree lines and some of the lightest, driest powder we’d ever ridden that had us stoked as we spent three days playing across two of Rusutsu’s three peaks. The snow was so good and plentiful, we got fresh tracks on one of the last runs of the day—not joking. And the best part? No lift lines. More often than not we found ourselves alone in the trees, charging through fresh lines like it was our job.

Here’s everything you need to know to prepare yourself to ride the best pow of your life.

How to get there

Rusutsu is located about 90 minutes southwest of Sapporo, which is the largest city in Hokkaido. There are a few ways to get there. If you’re coming from Tokyo, take Japan’s bullet train system, called the Shinkansen, from Tokyo Station. You can get off in Toya (6 hours) and take a taxi (~$100, 45-60 minutes) or continue all the way to Sapporo (7 hours) and catch a bus to the resort (90 minutes). You can also fly directly to Hokkaido and bus to Rusutsu (90 minutes).

Buses from Sapporo or the airport will require a reservation, so make sure you’ve got that in advance. You can check out this site for updated information on public transit to and from Rusutsu.

Where to stay

My recommendation is make sure you’ve got accommodations at or near Rusutsu village rather than bussing in from Niseko or Sapporo. When the powder panic hits, you’re going to wish you were catching first chair instead of waiting for a bus.

The resort is located in Rusutsu village, which has anything you’d need for a comfortable week on the slopes, including a wide range of Japanese restaurants, souvenir and convenience shops, a few bars, a wavepool and an onsen (traditional Japanese bath). Oh, and because it’s Japan, there’s a 7-Eleven across the street.

The main resort and massive Rusutsu Resort Hotel and a few slope-side cabins are situated at the base of West Mountain. A Westin sits between West Mountain and East Mountain and is connected to the main resort hotel via monorail.

We were lucky enough to stay in one of Rusutsu’s ski-in/ski-out log cabins. Nestled at the base of the West Mountain, the cabin is steps from both the West Mountain Lifts and the East No 1 Gondola, which will give you access to both East Mountain and Mount Isola. The location means it’s perfectly tucked away from the crowds of the hotel but still just a few minutes walk to the restaurants and amenities.

Our cabin comfortably slept six people in two bedrooms, and included a kitchenette, a spacious living area with a beautiful fireplace, and the best part–matching pajamas and slippers (this is a Japan thing you’ll find at a lot of the hotels and guest houses).

As of now, Airbnb property listings are pretty minimal but a brand new building of condos is underway. They’re set to be ready by 2020, meaning you’ll likely see more available properties on sites like Airbnb and VRBO in the future.

What to do

In my opinion, Rusutsu has three things will give you the best runs of your life: incredible in-bound tree lines (most which are accessed right off the lift), deeeep champagne powder, and hardly any lift lines.

From West Mountain, grab the East No 1 Gondola first thing and get straight to East Mountain. From there you can access Mount Isola and those delightful trees I’ve been raving about. We spent all of our time on these two peaks.

On West Mountain you’ll find the Side Country and Freedom Parks as well as a mix of mellow and challenging runs. Night skiing is also open on West Mountain.

We rode Rusutsu on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On Thursday and Friday we pretty much never waited in line. Saturday was busier, but still didn’t come close to some of the lines you’re sure to endure at US resorts like Breck or Vail.

What to eat

The resort offers a food package for purchase that will get you vouchers for breakfast and dinner. The breakfast we had was buffet style and included both Japanese and Western food options. For dinners, most of the restaurants are Japanese or Japanese fusion. We were seriously impressed with the quality of food at the resort restaurants. My advice? Jump in and EMBRACE it. The food is fresh and I won’t claim to know what everything was that I ate, but that’s most of the fun.

Be aware that most of the restaurants only open for dinner around 5:00 pm. There is a small pub that opens for happy hour where you can get a beer or cocktail, but if you’re looking for nightlife, you won’t really find that here (or any resorts in Japan, really). Remember the 7-Eleven I mentioned that’s across the street from the main hotel? Just grab some weird Japanese snacks and a few beers and host your own apres ski with your buddies.

Insider tips

Beginning with the 2019-20 season, Rusutsu will now be a member of the big ole Epic Pass family.

Holders of the Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, and Epic Australia Pass get five consecutive days at Rusutsu with no blackouts dates.

Save some money on transportation and purchase a Japan Rail Pass.

The pass is only available to foreign visitors and allows for unlimited riding on many of the trains, including the high-speed shinkansen trains. You can purchase a 7-day, 14-day, or 21-day pass. We went with the 14-day pass since we were planning to travel after Rusutsu. That will set you back a steep $420, but considering a ticket from Tokyo to Hokkaido will run you about $280 one way, it pays for itself in less than one roundtrip.

If you plan to eat at the resort property restaurants, make a reservation.

Though they may seat you without one, you’ll likely be asked to wait, even if it looks like there is a table ready. In Japanese culture, services standards are highly valued, so they want to ensure they have the right amount of food and servers to make sure your experiences is up to their high standards. Most of the resort restaurant reservations can be made online. Grab a brochure from the front desk, choose a few you’d like to try, and get all your dinners reserved in advance.

If you’re staying at a Rusutsu Resort property, grab a resort credit of 1000 JPY for each day you forgo cleaning services.

That’s about $10 USD and will get you a decent lunch at one of the lodges on the mountain. The ramen at the Steamboat Cafeteria on Mt. Isola is INCREDIBLE.

Make sure you’ve got yourself a spare pair of goggles.

Heavy snow plus cold equals effed, frozen goggs. It’s enough to ruin the rest of your day. Do yourself a favor and stash that extra pair of goggles in your coat. Trust me on this one.

Wax your board before you come.

On-site waxing services prices were steep ($60-$100 USD).

Do not pass up the on-resort onsen because you’re shy.

An onsen is a traditional Japanese hot spring. At the resort, I think the directional signage translated to English as “Group Bath.” Will you be naked? Yes. Will it be awkward? Probably if you’re American. Is it awesome and makes for a good story? Absolutely.

Ship your board bag to your resort from the airport and vice versa.

If the thought of hauling a giant snowboard bag through Tokyo station gives you anxiety, don’t worry. Take advantage of this local tip and ship your bag through Japan Post. It cost us $23 USD to have our snowboard bag shipped from Rusutsu resort to the hotel at our next destination. Many of the hotels will help you with this service, so just ask. You’ll need to allow about three days for your bags to arrive.