SpotCheck | Asahidake, Japan

To the mountain

First of all, Japanese for beginners, especially for mountain sports enthusiasts: “dake” means mountain in Japanese. So the mountain we walked up is called Asahi. :) Moving on: My quick Google research revealed that it is actually an active (strato-)volcano which last erupted 200 years ago. The whole thing is easy to believe when you stand in the huge oval crater and are surrounded by a cloud of steam every now and then. The summit of the volcano is 2291 metres, making it the highest mountain on Hokkaido. However, the fumeroles are distributed in the crater, which lies at 1724m and can be easily reached by gondola, which drops you off at 1600m. The mountain is located in the Daisetzu-san National Park, where there are also many other great mountains and volcanoes to discover ;)

Further impressions

The following times we didn't just go up once, but bought a day ticket so that we could enjoy the powder to the full. With short bootpacks or short skins, you can reach couloirs, natural halfpipes, a few nice drops or even pillow lines. As the mountain is so high, the snow is always good and we never came close to the summit again. We only climbed the Fumeroles again during our friend’s visit.

Navigation is relatively easy thanks to the Fatmap app. There is a piste that leads from the gondola into the valley, but it doesn't always follow the same route. All the terrain around it is unsecured. There are no nasty surprises and even if most people on the mountain are on guided tours, this is not really necessary with a lot of experience and safe tour planning in the Alps. Avalanche equipment and first aid knowledge are of course a prerequisite for travelling in any backcountry terrain.

Unfortunately, as the winter progressed, it became more and more crowded and the queue at the gondola was getting too long, so we switched to other areas in the national park.

Conclusion

Definitely a must-see in Japan. The combination of great powder and skiing on an active, still smoking volcano is breathtaking. If you want to reach the summit, as is almost always the case in Japan, you need a good jacket and the will to walk and ski on icy terrain. Mid-January was the best time for us, as nobody was there yet and the snow was incredibly good. Even if it gets too crowded during the season to get enough runs in a day for a successful powder day, the view and the feeling alone are worth it. And you have at least one descent.