06 Feb 09
This week has been busy and satisfying. Some of the highlights so far included taking two clients out for a local backountry introduction day (www.hakuba-alpine-guides.com). We covered a variety of terrain - 3 different aspects linked together. A day later the guys went back for more on a self-guided mission whilst stability and weather remained favourable. I was pleased that Hakuba Alpine Guides had been able to open the local backcountry window for these two with some terrain familiarity and confidence.
Then on Thursday the same two client booked us again for another day of guiding, this time taking it higher and further. The team made it to the top of Hakuba Norikura Dake (2456m) for a fast and firm mid-winter descent in the main bowl (above pic, nearing the summit). This alone is more than 99% of foriegn visitors and indeed foreign business owners in Hakuba ever experience. The weather was near perfect and the guys made it without any struggle at all. I have seen many flop over well before the objective is reached. We then toured away into the north down a series of meadows and rolls with good wind sifted soft snow. The afternoon ascent back up to 2200m was calm and pretty and casually followed by another descent from 2200m to 1900m through a nice gully and ok snow, despite the afternoon sun crust.
Over the day our clients steamrolled through a cumulative total of 1100m of ascent and smiled through 700m of descent, all above 2000m altitude.
Full descent, from the highest visible point to where the guys are standing.
During the week I also returned to Takatsuma Yama (2300m, another recent trip: http://steepdeepjapan.com/diary/takatsumayama). Again we enjoyed utterly perfect weather and again the trip was along side more guides. However this time I tagged along with two Canadian UIAGM mountain guides and one of their clients from Canada, none of whom had been in the area before. Having joined them at 5am in Hakuba and pointed the way from the road side trail head I was intending to veer off on my own to check out the excellent tree lines in the area. However perfect conditions kept me going in their direction to the summit and the intended NE descent.
On the summit ridge preparing for descent.
It was a simple fast day: 12 hours door to door and 8 hours round trip to and from the car. Takatsuma is a long-ish tour yet it never seems to drag on the mind, with more time passing than you might realise. Besides being another fantastic day of ski touring, it was also a valuable experience, to tour with people of that caliber.
Twice now this season Takatsuma Yama has played a big role in forming some lasting memories and hopefully friends.
Unlike Rokcy Mountains in
Unlike Rokcy Mountains in Canada/US, mountains in Japan have more windy and foggy days with getting infuluences from Nippon sea and Pacific Ocean. Tengu-parra of Tsugaike is a paradice at fine weather, but hell at bad weather. You must be tired with fighting to wind gusts, and be tipsy in white out snow terrains in bad days. That is the problem for Hakuba winter guide business how to manage (make enjoyed) clients in bad days. You may have to accept "no charge" cancellations in bad days which may have ben still a Japanese custom. As per guide profit/loss account, the guide cost would be higher than ones in Canada/US when counting actual working days.
So far, Hakuba will have expanding plenty of BC snowing areas from March mid/end thru May mid/end with more fine days and better accesses. Hakuba-Dai-Sekkei, Renge Onsen, Yukikura-dake, Ohnagi-yama, and Amakazari-yama will excite us. That's a period when winter guides get money earned.
If you are very strong, Asahidake one-day trip from Renge Onsen lodge is a challenge. (I did not, and I had to have a one-night snow cave stay when I was 40's.)
Asahi-dake (Yahoo! map): http://itm-asp.com/cc/1615/L2T6jk1c
Spring is by far the best
Spring is by far the best period for backcountry touring in Hakuba For guiding though, my company will be quiet as almost no foreigners visit Japan after February. All they want is powder.
> almost no foreigners visit
> almost no foreigners visit Japan after February
It must be a fact, but very sorry. I do not want to go to Colorado "powder" skiing after March/mid. No, it is less (no?) chance to have powder in spring. However, Hakuba gives most gracefull sceneries (in the world!) to BC skiers/snowshoewers in spring. (It may be a little bit tough for snowboarders.) I suppose foreign tourisms (as well Hakuba tourism ?) haven't realized it....