More great terrain and joy

7 Dec 08

Is this Hakuba Dake/Shiroma Dake (2932m), or some where in Canada? 

It was a fantastic day of backcountry exploration and pretty good riding as well, making two consecutive solo climbs and descents for a total of 2100m of vertical descent in a day (the last 800m vert is a straight dull run down via resort pistes).  So much terrain is opening up in front of me.  So much is untouched, almost totally empty.  I saw 4 people all day. Do you know how good it is up there?  I wish I could share it. 

After ascending to Norikura Dake (2450m) I rode the SE face pictured above.  Starting point was the rocky outcrop, ending out of frame on the right.  It was fast with pockets of soft windblown snow.

After the Norikura descent I skinned up again and ascended to just below the ridge in middle picture (I reached 2500m, the ridge is 2600m).  I was astounded at the terrain I found on the journey up there.  Some people have scoffed at that area when I pointed at a map and asked about it.  I was equally astounded at my rate of progress - almost making it to the ridge line leading to the summit of Korenge San (2769m).  I was alone, it was 3pm, I decided to leave the final push for another day. I was besides myself with joy.  Absolutely alone in this beautiful wilderness and suddenly coming oh so close to summiting and bagging a winter descent from Korenge San.  If the snow stays away in the coming week I will be heading back up there.  Its heavily wind scoured and icy on the ridges and rolls on the way up giving good stable alpine route options in a wide area (otherwise I wouldn't have been up there!).  Its hard to contain the elation when I think about the opportunities.

To stand in the mountains and ride them free without rules is something else.

An ugly picture, but the only one I have of the face I am tinkering with.  My two areas of descent are visible on the right of the long ridge line. First, on the far lookers right in the sparse trees then further to lookers left from a point above and left of the big obvious rock bulge with the wire running through it.

I ended the day with a bunch of beers, a friendly bar crowd and open wood fire at Hakuba House. Drinking with your dog at the fireplace after a good day in the alpine is what its all about.

After two months waiting my shipment from Europe arrived.  I now have all my backcountry, mountaineering and camping equipment and will be sled-dragging it half way up there to leave a cache for multi day trips, rather than lugging it up and down each time. There is a superb base camp area with an array of terrain options stretching from left to right.