Yatsugatake (八ヶ岳) ice-climbing - The left fork of Hirogawara-sawa (広河原沢左俣)

Route Name: Hirogawara-sawa (広河原沢) left fork (hidari-mata 左俣)

Mountain:  Amidadake (2805m 阿弥陀岳)

Map sheet:  33 [Yama-to-kougen-chizu (山と高原地図) series]

Time:  1 day round trip

Grade:  WI4 / Overall grade 3 alpine route

While the crowds head to the Akadake-kousen area of west Yatsugatake for early winter ice-climbing, the longer and more varied routes in the Hirogawara-sawa valley provide a much quieter and more immersive experience. The left fork is the longest and most technical of the frozen sawa routes on this side. With several hours of WI2-3 slab ice and a couple of crux pitches at WI4, it is both a first-class training day and a grand outing in itself.

With the option to summit 2805m Amidadake with stunning winter views all around, and then a huge descent down the endless Okoya ridge, expect a tough but satisfying day.

Getting there:

There is no public transport to the trailhead for this route. As a pre-dawn start is required, it is therefore necessary to travel by car.

If travelling by car from Tokyo (東京) take the Chuō Expressway as far as the Kobuchizawa (小淵沢) interchange. After passing through the ETC barriers, turn right and drive uphill on route 11 for around 5 minutes to a set of traffic lights. Turn left and continue until route 11 changes into route 484. Stay on route 484 for around 10 minutes, and then turn right onto a narrow road uphill in the direction of Funayama-jūjiro (船山十字路). There is space for around 15-20 cars to park here.

Description:

From the carpark at Funayama-jūjiro walk up the road for several minutes and pass through the gate. Continue up the forestry road in the direction of Hirogawara-sawa. Eventually the road becomes less defined as it narrows into a valley path.

After about an hour of hiking the path crosses to the right bank of Hirogawara-sawa. Another 20 minutes will bring you to the Futamata junction (二俣), the point where the left and right forks of the river part ways.

Cross back over to the left bank and then continue hiking up the left fork. The angle increases slightly as you pick your way up the snow-filled streambed, and gradually you will meet more and more frozen sections and short 1-2m steps. After around half an hour you should reach a pool with a narrow cleft at the far end. This is the start of the more technical climbing. Some years this is frozen and you can go straight up it, but if it is still running water here, it can be bypassed up on the cliff on the left side, with a fixed rope at the far end to get back down into the streambed.

Now you are into the more technical ice-climbing, and as you progress up the sawa you will meet several ice steps of around WI2-3 up to about 15m in height. They can all be soloed in good conditions if you have the confidence, but be prepared to pitch them if necessary.

As you gain height you will eventually come to the mixed crux of the route, involving a traverse across a steep slope followed by a climb up a bulging chimney in two sections. If you want to rope up for this, there is a good tree anchor at the top.

After some more slab ice and one slightly longer 3-step icefall, you will come to the first of the ice cruxes, the 15m WI4 Ōtaki icefall (大滝). This pitch is off vertical for its first half, but then steepens to vertical in its upper half, with a solid tree to belay from at the top.

Once over the Ōtaki, continue up the sawa and climb several more WI3 sections of steep exposed slab ice.

Eventually you will reach the technical ice crux of the route, the final WI4/4+ ice pillar. Conditions on this pillar differ year to year, and it can be fat solid ice or rather intimidating, but it usually touches down on the ground and can be climbed by mid to late December. There is a solid anchor some metres back from the top.

Ice pillar in different years:

You have now finished the technical ice-climbing, and have a couple of options available. If you want to go to the summit of Amidadake, continue up the sawa on more moderate terrain until you break out onto the upper slopes and hit the hiking trail near the top. If you are not planning to go to the summit, then just climb the steep slopes on your left until you hit the hiking trail on the Okoya ridge (御小屋尾根), effectively the west ridge of Amidadake.

Descent:

There is usually a great trace all the way down the Okoya ridge. Pick your way carefully down it, and after around an hour you’ll come to a sign for a water source off to the left (不動清水) at about 2206m. Keep going down the ridge and after another 1h10mins of map-time you will arrive at a fork in the trail just after the 2137m summit of Mt Okoya (御小屋山).

The right fork goes to Minotoguchi bus stop, and the left fork will take you back to Funayama crossroads. The car park at Funayama crossroads is another 1h20mins of map-time down the ridge.

Overall:

A classic winter ice/mixed alpine route in the Yatsugatake region, favoured for its length and sequence of frozen waterfalls and ice pitches up to WI4. Take a 50m rope and around 8 ice screws, and be prepared for a big day out.

Mt Kaikomagatake (甲斐駒ケ岳) – Ōren-dani left fork (黄蓮谷左俣)

Route Name:   Ōren-dani left fork (黄蓮谷左俣)

Mountain:         Kaikomagatake (2967m, 甲斐駒ケ岳)

Map sheet:       41 [Yama-to-kougen-chizu (山と高原地図) series]

Time:                2-3 days

Grade:              Grade 4+ alpine route (WI4+)

The massive northeast aspect of Mt Kaikoma might be the biggest draw in the area for winter alpinists. Visible for miles around, the Ōren-dani valley is remote and serious, and I’ll wager that anyone who has been climbing Japan’s mountains in the coldest season for a decent length of time has either done it or is dreaming of doing it.

If you have already climbed the magnificent right fork of Mt Kaikoma’s Ōren-dani and are keen to ramp up the technical difficulties, then it may be time to consider the left fork, or hidari-mata (左俣). While the left fork is shorter than its neighbour, topping out at the 8th station of the Kuroto ridge rather than the summit, it makes up for this in steepness and technical difficulty. To climb it you will need to spend several hours in the no-fall zone on WI3 slab ice, and overcome several large icefalls in the WI4-5 range.

Where the right fork is long and adventurous, the left fork is one for the more serious ice-climbers. Retreat would be both awkward and protracted, so once committed you really want to be able to climb it all the way. And if you can do that, you’ll have earned a prize worth winning!

Getting there:

If travelling by car from Tokyo (東京), take the Chuō Expressway to Sutama (須玉) and then exit onto route 141. A combination of local roads will bring you within about half an hour to the Hakushukankōjiro camping ground (白洲観光尾白キャンプ場). The car park here is the end of the road and the access point for the Kuroto ridge of Mt Kaikoma and all climbing routes on the east side of the mountain.

Description:

THE APPROACH

From the car park, walk past the barrier and continue along the rough road for about 5-10 minutes until you reach the Chiku-Komagatake shrine (竹宇駒ケ岳神社), an ancient holy site for shugendō religious practice. From the shrine, cross the suspension bridge over the river and follow the path upwards through the initial zigzags.

After about 30mins the path will veer to the left and contour up and round onto the crest of the ridge. Keep going, and after about 2 hours of map time you will reach a junction where your trail is joined by another approach trail that came up from Yokote-Komagatake shrine. You are now on the Kuroto ridge proper. Keep following the path up through the forest, with red paint markers on the trees to show you the right way.

After about 1.5 hours the ridge will begin to narrow until you reach an airy knife-edge section with chains. Cross this with care, and after another 15-20 minutes you will reach a small shrine at 2049m. From here on you will begin to encounter ladders fixed on the steep sections.

Keep going for another hour or so and the trail will descend for about 100m to a col. This is the 5th station on the ridge. In the past there was an emergency hut here, the Gogōme-goya (五合目小屋), but this hut no longer exists. There is space here for a number of tents if you are planning to camp, and there is a descent trail down into the Ōren-dani from here, which will get you to the bottom of the Bouzu-no-taki (坊主ノ滝) icefall.

If you are not planning to camp, then you will need to continue up the ridge for another hour or so to the Shichijoudaiichi-goya hut (七丈第一小屋). The trail to the hut goes up and down very steeply, with a lot of ladders and chains to negotiate, some of them quite exposed indeed. Eventually you will round a corner at about 2400m and arrive at the hut. A night here currently costs about ¥12000 per person, including dinner, breakfast and 2 litres of cold water.

THE CLIMB

After an early pre-dawn start from the 7^th station hut, retrace the trail back down the Kuroto ridge to the 6^th station until you reach a distinctive stone marker. This marks the drop-in point for the more recently established descent trail down rokujou-no-sawa (六丈ノ沢).

If there is enough snow cover in the sawa itself, you can walk steeply down rokujou-no-sawa, but without snow cover you will likely need to pick your way down the ridge on your right (occasional markers on the trees). After 1-1.5 hours of careful descent, you should arrive at the bottom of rokujou-no-sawa, where it meets the Ōren-dani. Be very careful here as the terrain is very steep and exposed, with Bouzu-no-taki directly under you. If you wish to bypass Bouzu-no-taki, you may need to perform a diagonal rappel leftwards across the ice of rokujou-no-sawa from a solid tree on the right bank, which will get you down into the Ōren-dani in around 30-40m.

Once established in the Ōren-dani itself, start walking up the frozen stream bed and you will soon reach the 15m Futamata (二俣) icefall.

Soon after this you will see the Futamata junction where the left and right forks part ways.

The left fork begins steeply as it means to continue, with a beautiful series of stepped icefalls, around 50m in height and WI3, named the San-dan icefall (three steps, 三段).

Once over these, continue upwards until you reach the first more serious objective, the 30m Chimney icefall (チムニー滝). In good conditions this should be around WI3+, with good ice to anchor in beyond the top.

After the Chimney icefall, continue up for around an hour over a series of WI3 steps, gaining height rapidly, and enjoying the views across to the Yatsugatake massif in the distance behind. Eventually the main event, the 60m WI4+ Ōtaki icefall (大滝) will rear into view up ahead.

Although slightly off vertical in its lower half, the Ōtaki soon rears up to vertical and is sustained for a full 60m rope length. It can be cut into two pitches if you prefer. Once over this one, you have surmounted most of the difficulties.

From the top of the Ōtaki, continue up for around 20 minutes to the final major obstacle, the 30m Saigo-no-taki icefall (最後の滝). Although much shorter than the Ōtaki, this icefall is also steep and is often quite thin and tenuous, making it something of a sting in the tail. If it is not fully formed, or you don’t fancy taking it on, it can be bypassed off to the left.

From the top of this last icefall, you will likely be on snow slopes to the top. Depending on the condition of any trace in the snow, this section can be very physical and seems to last forever. But eventually you will exit the shade into the sunlight on the Kuroto ridge, just below the 8th station.

Most parties simply turn left from here and descend back to the hut, but if you have enough energy left, it seems a pity to miss out on summitting the mountain, with all the magnificent winter views that go with it!

Once finished with the climbing for the day, all that remains is the endless punishment of descending 2200m of the Kuroto ridge with a heavy pack in winter boots back to the car!

Overall:

A fantastic and memorable route for the well-prepared winter climber, both long and technical. Bring a full set of around 12 ice screws and at least a 60m rope, preferably doubles. This is the stuff dreams are made of!

The main ridge of Mt Myoujin (明神岳主稜)

Route name:  Main ridge (Shu-ryo, 主稜)

Mountain:  Mt Myoujin (2931m明神岳)

Map sheet:  37 [Yama-to-kougen-chizu (山と高原地図) series]

Time:  1-2 days

Grade:  Overall Grade 1 alpine route

The terrain around Kamikōchi (上高地) in the North Alps is deservedly famous. With world-class natural beauty at every turn, soaring ridgelines and peaks on all sides, and the famous view of the Hotaka range from the Kappabashi bridge, people flock here with their cameras throughout the high season.

For the alpine climber there is no shortage of classic variation routes to play on, and they don’t come much more classic than the main ridge of Mt Myoujin. Viewed from Kappabashi the ridge looks improbably steep and inaccessible, but on closer inspection turns out to be quite reasonable. Similar in size and technicality to something like the Genjiro ridge on Mt Tsurugi, it provides a fantastic gateway to the Hotaka range, but without any of the crowds and the chains and ladders that festoon the main trails.

Like its neighbour, the north ridge of Maeho, this route calls out to the alpine climber. For those looking for speed, it can be done lightweight in a single (long) day up and down, but the full experience demands a bivvy on or near the airy summit of Mt Myoujin. Spectacular!

Getting there:

The start point of this itinerary is Kamikōchi (上高地) in the North Alps (北アルプス). If travelling by train from Tokyo (東京) or Shinjuku (新宿), take a Super Azusa limited express train on the Chuō Line (中央線) out to Matsumoto (松本) station.  From there you need to change to the Alpico Line for a 30-minute train ride to Shinshimashima (新島々). The final leg of the journey is a bus ride of about an hour from outside the train station at Shinshimashima to the alpine village of Kamikōchi, nestled at the foot of the Hotaka range in the North Alps.

If travelling by car, you need to get to one of the car parks at Sawando (さわんど) on route 158, as private vehicles are prohibited from entering the Kamikōchi area. From Sawando, take a bus or taxi to Kamikōchi. Buses are regular and cost around ¥1000, and a taxi (quicker and more convenient) will set you back about ¥6000.

Description:

If you’re planning to camp up on the summit ridgeline, make sure you load up with plenty of water for the whole trip. There are no water sources on this route once you leave the Kamikōchi vicinity.

From the Kamikōchi bus terminal, walk about 5 minutes to reach Kappabashi, and cross the bridge. Continue for around 15 minutes through beautiful low-lying marshland along the river until you reach the trailhead for the Dakesawa (岳沢) valley.

The hiking trail between here and the Dakesawa hut is punctuated every so often with a numbered sign, descending from 10 to 1. Hike up the trail for around half an hour until you reach the number 7 signboard. From here a thin trail heads off up the slope on the right, and this is the approach to the Myoujin Shu-ryo.

You will be hiking/scrambling up this trail for the next 3 hours or so, and it is consistently steep, but fairly clear with no particular route-finding difficulties. As you progress up through the various zones (forest, sasa, haimatsu) the trail begins to open out and you’ll eventually exit tree line. At one point you’ll need to scramble up a very exposed section of rock ridge, and there are occasional ring bolts if you feel the need for the security of a rope.

Eventually you will emerge onto a sort of plateau, with multiple flat tent spots dotted around it. From here a steep trail will bring you to the summit of peak 2726, also known as Myoujin V. This is the first peak along the Shu-ryo itself, and there is a vintage wood-shafted ice axe marking the summit.

Now you are on the ridge proper, and the next 3-4 hours will be spent traversing the peaks of the Myoujin massif from V down to I, the main summit.

A steep descent from Myoujin V brings you to the V/IV col. Continue up the ridge along a fairly clear trail to gain Myoujin IV.

From here you will now see the real meat of the traverse ahead. A short traverse brings you to the foot of the rocky fortress of Myoujin III. This peak is basically tackled head-on, with a steep and exposed section of scrambling.

Scramble down the other side, and then hike along the ridge to Myoujin II. Scramble up to the top, and continue until you reach the far end, and you’ll find an in-situ rappel anchor. From here you can descend in two vertical 25m rappels, with a good intermediary anchor halfway down.

Now you just need to scramble up the slope ahead to reach the main summit of Myoujin I (2931m). There is a single tent platform right at the summit, but if this is taken, climb down the other side a short way and there are several more spots where a tent can be pitched. This whole area is airy and exposed, with dramatic views on all sides.

From Myoujin you now need to continue on to the 3090m summit of Maehotaka. First walk down the airy ridgeline from Myoujin, and scramble up a small intermediary summit. On the far side of this lies a very steep and exposed downclimb of around 40m in length. The exposure is tremendous, and most people describe this downclimb as the psychological crux of the route.

Once down, continue scrambling up the ridgeline with some relatively complex route-finding to cover the 200m of elevation to the broad flat rocky summit of Maeho. For many people this will be the highpoint of the route and the views all around, and particularly down the north ridge of Maeho, are truly exhilarating.

Getting down:

From the summit of Maeho you need to drop steeply down the main trail for around 20 minutes, with chains in places, to reach the trail junction at Kimiko-daira (紀美子平). From here you have the option to do an out-and-back along the Tsuri-one (吊尾根) ridgeline to reach the 3190m summit of Mt Okuhotaka (奥穂高岳), the high point of the North Alps.

Once back at Kimiko-daira, continue down the Dakesawa trail for around two hours to reach the Dakesawa hut. This trail is infamous… one of the steepest trails in Japan, and an absolute knee-crusher. Hang in there, keep repeating “this too shall pass”, and you’ll get down it.

From the Dakesawa hut there just remains about 1h50m of map time down the hiking trail back to the trail junction and on to Kamikōchi.

Overall:

A stunning variation route, of moderate technical difficulty for those with the requisite climbing experience, without the crowds of the nearby ridgelines and trails. Mandatory rappels from Myoujin II require a 50m rope, and a night up on the summit makes for a very memorable outing.

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