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TRAVELLIFE

FIRST CHAIRISSUE 1WINTER 2013AUD$12.50 INC GST

PHOTO BY ANDY LLOYD

R U S U T S UJ A P A N ’ S B E S T K E P T S E C R E T

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a lot of powder on any given day.

Three areas - West Mountain, East Mountain and the highest, Mount Isola - are connected by gondola and a monorail runs between the resort’s two main hotels.

A rol ler coaster in the middle of town operates only in summer but there are enough thr i l ls to be found on the slopes - even dog sledding.

Given Niseko’s established Austral ian flavour, it is easy to understand

In Niseko you can pretend you’re in a very cold Austral ia; nearby Rusutsu resort offers vir tually deserted epic tree runs.

Statistically, Rusutsu is perfect.

With 30 per cent of its terrain suitable for beginners, 40 per cent for intermediates and 30 per cent for those who reckon they know just what they’re doing, Rusutsu is Hokkaido’s quiet achiever.

One of the best surpr ises for those ventur ing onto Rusutsu’s acclaimed off-

piste terrain is ending up in a f ield or Theme Park at the bottom of a run.

In a region renowned for its powder, getting carr ied away is just part of the fun, so farmers are accustomed to skiers and boarders asking for directions back to the resort.

Rusutsu’s spectacular scenery and long, wide groomed runs on undulating slopes are reminiscent of some of the best in Colorado.

The resort is only a 40-minute drive from Niseko along backroads

between fields that in the summer produce a large proportion of Japan’s food crops.

At 950 metres above sea level, Rusutsu is a couple of hundred metres below Niseko’s 1150 metres but the advantages include the trees at the mountain-top that protect the runs and help skiers maintain visibi l ity.

Rusutsu’s three gondolas and seven quad-chairs access 37 trai ls for more than 42 ki lometres of downhil l r iding.

With no waiting in l ift l ines, this means

why many of us have not heard much about Rusutsu.

Then again, those already in the know may want to keep it to themselves.

WORDS LAUREN DELLA MARTA

R U S U T S U

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G I R L S G E T T I N G H I G H P H O T O G R A P H E R M I C H A E L S K L A R

The Dew Tour held in Breckenridge, Colorado in December and January was the f i rst qualifying event for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Freeski halfpipe, freeski slopestyle and snowboard are the new events for next year. Normally reserving his lens attention for only the best of the guys - Michael Sklar’s photos generate thousands of hits on the online ski ing community newschoolers.com - Sklar has been keeping an eye open on women’s ski ing for us to goggle over. It’s not often you get to see plaits flying in mid air.

TOP ROZ GROENEWOUD (CAN) THIRD PLACE FREESKI SUPERPIPE LEFT MADDIE BOWMAN (USA) FIRST PLACE FREESKI SUPERPIPE RIGHT DARA HOWEL (CAN) SIXTH PLACE FREESKI SLOPESTYLE

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N I G H T R I D E R

PHOTO: TAYOR PACE SKIIER: LAUREN TEE (USA)

WAREHOUSE IN SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA

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TOP MICHAELA DAVIS MEEHAN (AUS) PHOTO TIM LLOYD BRECKENRIDGE COLORADO, USA BOTTOM AMBER ARAZNY PHOTO ANDY LLYOD PERISHER, AUSTRALIA

Sleep. Who needs it? Some local Aussie r iders have been practicing in the dead of the night. We do not recommend trying this unless you have Bear Gri l ls l ike stamina for the cold and have made very good fr iends with some groomers - as rewarding as it can be, hiking is always a bitch.

N I G H T L I N E SA L E X F I T C H

PHOTO: TAYOR PACE SKIIER: LAUREN TEE (USA)

WAREHOUSE IN SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA

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S T R E E T W I S E W O R D S L A U R E N D E L L A M A R T A

Once upon a time, if you skied - you were a looser. Snowboarding had all the steeze. But ski iers have since soaked up some street smarts. They have dropped the gaper vests and imitated boarders baggy pants and XXXL shir ts to the tee (tall ones at that). Fashion aside, freeski iers are bouncing off each other with an approach that skaters have l ived by for decades which is that once you begin to view your environment as a playground, the possibi lties are infinite.

B E A N I E B A B I E S B A B E SRachael Smokes Hash Oaks-Ash, better known as the SMH blogger Miss Snow It Al l has written a fashion book called Beanie Babes. Al l giddy by the prospect of her witty narration by our favourite winter accessory, we got Rachael to give us a sneak preview of this seasons cosiest knitts. The book itself hits the shelves on Fr iday, August 23 - you can grab a copy when it launches at The White Horse Hotel in Surry Hi l ls, Sydney at 6pm.

RAWR Beanie $26 USDHolden holdenouterwear.com I’m going, going, back back to Cali, Cali! You’re not going to see a bear in Aus so this is the closest you wil l get to a bear hug.

HUTCH BEANIE $25 USD Elm Company elmcompany.com A classic must have with an optional cuff because let’s face it, only some head shapes can pull off the sexy f isherman look.

ENTWINED BEANIE INDIGO$39.99 AUDElement elementbrand.com Granny knitts and pom poms have made a huge comeback ever since tea cosies were dubbed cool once again.

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O U T O F B O U N D S D O I N G I T W R O N G S I N C E 1 9 9 0 ( w h e n t h a t m u p p e t w a t b o r n )

Going out of bounds does not respect the Alpine Resposibil ity Code. But neither does puking off the side of a chair l ift the day after pay day. Where do we draw the l ine? If you’re going to do it (for legal reasons we cannot endorse this behaviour) you have to do it r ight. Next time you want to r isk losing your season pass by ducking the ropes for those glor iously sweet freshies remember what we told you ............................................................................................................... abosolutely nothing.

PHOTO: LAUREN DELLA MARTA SKIIER: SANDY ROWLANDS (AUS)

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