06 Nov 2009
My Hakuba backcountry season started on Daisekkei today with Matsumoto-san from Rapies Mountain Shop. What a lot of fun it was. We skied from 2100m down to 1750m. As can be seen in the picture my first-day form is very rusty after only committing to skiing over snowboarding partway through last season.
Matsumoto-san ascending
The snow had settled considerably since my visit to the area a few days earlier. We found some temperature crust in the shade and soft moist settled snow in the sun. It was like spring.
Matsumoto-san descending
The bottom 100m of Daisekkei ice field (neve) has collapsed/melted thanks to last season slighter snow fall and intense rain periods in summer. It will return with another season of normal snow. Matsumoto-san has seen it all before “it is different every year”.
Narrow crevasse
