Overview:
The 2010 eye care ski conference will be held in Japan for the first time. This will be the 6th conference I have run and the venue will be the modern, very well appointed resort hotel at Rusutsu on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. This is a large, ski in-ski out venue with all you could want, including an indoor, heated olympic sized wave pool.
This area is renowned for it's dry powder snow. Very cold dry air from Siberia crosses the sea of Japan collecting moisture to turn to champagne powder. Seasoned Japanese ski junkies consistently rate Rusutsu high. As well as beautifully maintained pistes there is some of the best tree skiing in Japan for the more advanced with waist deep powder being the norm. The lifts/pistes lack crowds. The uphill facilities are mainly high speed covered quad chairs and gondolas. This is a great area for beginners too, as the easy slopes are directly at the hotel door. Progression to more advanced slopes can be done in a gradual fashion.
Start date will be Sunday 17th January, 2010 with 7 nights accommodation.
The educational format will be similar to previous conferences I have run, with lectures held on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 4pm and 8pm. There will be a combination of live and recorded talks with an emphasis on relaxed discussion.
Accommodation packages/costs are being sorted and will be posted when finalised. I am looking at a package that includes 7 nights accommodation/7 breakfasts and 4 meals (on the lecture evenings) at this stage. The resort has a large number of restaurants and the nearby village has some traditional Japanese venues to explore on the free nights.
Who can come:
The conference is open to all arms of the eye care profession. Ophthalmologists, optometrists, orthoptists, general practitioners, pharmacists, optical dispensers, practice managers & staff are all welcome to register. One of the conference goals is to bring the various arms of the eye care profession together for education and networking opportunities.
I also welcome all family and friends who can come along for the journey as non-delegates. No registration fee will be charged to them.
Getting there:
Rusutsu resort is accessed from Sapporo (the capital city of Hokkaido) which has an international airport. Typically from Australia the rout is via Tokyo or Hong Kong.
