Winter Alpine Climbing in Tokachidake, Hokkaido
Experience 2-day winter alpine climbing in Tokachidake, in Hokkaido with a knowledgable local certified mountain guide, Takao.
2 Days
Mar, Apr
Description
Join me for a winter mountaineering trip in Tokachidake, in Hokkaido!
Hokkaido has abundant snowy mountains in the winter, thanks to the cold Siberian wind and the moisture the wind picks up from the sea of Okhotsk in the north. This spoils skiers and snowboarders with the famous powder snow but it also provides an ideal playground to mountaineers.
Why not you come with me to explore the less known activity in Hokkaido, perhaps as a refreshing break from backcountry skiing for a few days?
I have selected a relatively climber friendly route for this itinerary, which is the Kamihoro North West Ridge. The ridge stands at 2,000 m but it offers easy access with a short approach path starting at 1,300 m. In particular, from Mt. Kamihorokamettoku (a.k.a. Kamihoro), you can enjoy the magnificent view of the snowy peaks of Tokachi, Furano, and the mountain ranges of the distant Daisetsuzan. This area is a major backcountry skiing destination in earlier winter periods but turns into an accessible alpine climbing area.
Depending on the weather, conditions and your abilities, I can also guide you to another itinerary. Please contact me for more information!
As an alternative, there are also 2-days ice climbing programes that I offer. Have a look if you're interested!
I also offer a 2-day Winter Mountaineering Course in Hokkaido, which is oriented to beginners.
Please also be aware that in case I am busy I will ask my fellow guides to guide you.
Accommodation options in TOKACHI:
– Ryounkaku: Half-board with onsen. JPY 10,000.
– Hakuginso: Self catering. Guide can arrange booking. Amazing onsen outside! JPY 3,000.
Price includes
- Guiding fee
Price details
Please note that accommodation is not included and client will have to pay for guide's accommodation as well.
Itinerary
Day 1: Tokachidake Onsen
From Sapporo, we will drive to town of Tokachidake Onsen (100 km, 2.5 hrs). We will spend 2 hrs training at a frozen dam of height around 10 m, to practice ice climbing techniques and check your abilities on using ice climbing gears. Overnight stay at a traditional onsen ryokan.
Day 2: Kamihoro North West Ridge / Sapporo
Start with a snowshoe approach for 1.5 hrs, before the climb of the Kamihoro North West Ridge (500 m vertical, grade III*, 7 pitches, ascent 3 hrs, descent 2 hrs). A relaxing dip in an onsen before driving back to Sapporo. Estimated time of return is around 6 pm.
*Scottish Winter Grades:
III – Mixed ascents of moderate rock routes; icy gullies; sustained buttresses.
Details
More info
Equipment:
- Crampon compatible Mountaineering boots (e.g. Nepal Evos)
- Technical ice axes
- Harness
- Helmet
- Crampons
- Items such as ice axes, harness, helmet, and crampons can be rented at JPY 2,000 each.
- Other ice climbing gears such as ice screws, quick draws etc. will be provided.
Climate:
I offer this trip for the months of March and April. During this period, the temperatures ranges from -10c to -15c, and at time there could be blizzards with wind speed of around 20m/s (72 km/h).
Required Levels:
Intermediate / Advanced. Previous experience of intermediate winter mountaineering necessary. You need to be fairly proficient in rope works and crampons.
Meeting point
FAQs
What are some recommended accommodations near our adventure location?
About the guide
-Takao
4.8
(71)
Mountain Guide
I am an experienced IFMGA mountain guide, born and raised in Hokkaido, Japan. I started skiing when I was 3 and started climbing when I was 6. My high school years were spent in ski competitions and I joined mountaineering club at University, where I developed my ski mountaineering skills. I have been a ski instructor for Miura Dolphins founded by Yuichiro Miura (first ski descent of the Everest “The Man Who Skied Down Everest” and the oldest Everest summiting record holder at 80 years old) and also supported Yuichiro's Aconcagua ascent and ski descent in 1984 as a part of his 7 summits ski descent challenge.
I was inspired by the works of mountain guides in Chamonix when I visited there in 1983, and decided to start guiding as a mountain guide in Japan in 1989 to share my passion and experiences in outdoors sports with other people, as well as to offer instruction to people enjoying the mountains to be better climbers / skiers. I have also contributed to the proper training of JMGA (Japan Mountain Guides Association) guides and the affiliation of it to IFMGA. I am responsible for the pioneering of the climbing and backcountry skiing scenes in Japan.
My main guiding arena is alpinism, whether it be mountaineering or ski mountaineering, mainly in Hokkaido. I usually take a small group of people (2-5) for Sawanobori (canyoning up waterfalls), alpine climbing, ice climbing, and ski touring in the more remote areas of Japan.
I enjoy finding the best experience for each client accordingly to their physical abilities, preferences, and weather/conditions. I guide because I like watching and feeling that people are enjoying and having fun, and see how this buzz infects other people through skiing and climbing. I find this invaluable as a mountain guide.
There is more to Hokkaido than skiing lift accessible powder in January and February. Please reach out to me to find your own customised way to enjoy Hokkaido’s mountains, natures and culture!
Languages
Japanese | English
Certificates
IFMGA
What people are saying about Explore-Share
Man
5
Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!
Maxine
5
Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.
Valeriya
5
You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.
Joshua
5
We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.
Cami
5
Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.
4.8
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