Steep Deep Japan

22 July 2008

This article has two parts. First, it outlines the reported avalanche incidents across all of Japan for the 2007/08 season. Second, it focuses on the evolution of the Hakuba snowpack and details those incidents that occurred in Hakuba.

I am using avalanche incident data from the Japan Avalanche Network as the official source of data in Japan. I am a contributing member and attended their end of year meeting where the indecent summary was reviewed and discussed. Other incidents may have occurred yet remained un-reported.

The data and discussion on Hakuba’s snowpack and avalanche activity is based on my own weather station data, along with my own field observations and observations by guides in Hakuba recorded on the JAN public database.

PART 1: 2007/08 Avalanche Incidents in Japan

There were 15 reported avalanche incident in Japan from between 13 November 2007 and 12 April 2008. I do not have data available to compare to the previous season.

Of the 15 reported incidents:

41 people were caught in an avalanche
9 people sustained injury
15 people died.

If you live in Japan or are visiting and want an English speaking guided summer ascent of Mount Fuji then please consider Fuji Yama Guides operated by two Japanese guys, Yuske and Shoji, who I got to know via the Japan Avalanche Network and their winter alpine guiding activities.

Fuji Yama Guides

On this outing I purposely tried to take a lot of pictures from beginning to end, which is quite out of character for me.

The biggest peak in the valley is called [Mount] Shirouma.  It doesn't look like a horse.  And compared to the peak on its left, it isn’t white except in winter.  But horse it is and white it still is in July, just.  Its a 1700m/5100ft climb and quite frankly I'm getting a little tired of doing it these days.  I am now able to ascend the 170m in 3.5 hours, which is fast.  However my lack of flexibility is causing my body to hurt more than it should.

Went out with my dog again, he's my only touring partner these days. 

Mid-June in Hakuba like most places requires  long sweaty approach.  We didn't have it any different.

Day 1:  skin up a long permanent snowfield for about 3km and 1200m vertical gain.  Then onto the summit of Hakuba's highest peak (Shirouma Dake, 2932m).  The line off the back was very patchy on top, so instead we continued to skin around to Asahi Dake and took that instead.

At the summit:

Views of my favourite series of couloirs in Hakuba.  Still holding snow, but a lot of rocks an deep runnels in there.

This guy:

Hakuba from the top:

And our new day 1 objective, Asahi Dake NE face (2867m).