14 replies to this topic

[Toque]

Saturday April 17/04
Crazyski, Matt B and myself went up to the top of Yakedake for good 900-1000 metre ski run down.


Crazyski hiking up. He didn't have any skins so just hiked up in his running shoes. He also didn't have any food, only 1 glove and forgot sunglasses.



At treeline the bowl is entered. Matt B and I skinned up the middle while Crazy hiked up the left skyline.

[Toque]

Matt B getting the most of his heal risers.



Me near the top. The cloud is from the volcanic vents in the background.



Matt B standing beside the vents. If the wind changed you would get a face full of smoke. Probably not the safest place to stand but makes a good picture.

[Toque]

Me standing next to the vents.

[Toque]

Crazy making tele turns from the summit into al bowl. Some nice chutes.

[db le p]

Good stuff.

Was there a brothel at the top?

"no food, no skins, no sunglasses, one glove"... classic.

[Toque]

Me on my second run. Nice steep face. I also skied the line on the far right of the picture.

[Toque]

So the trip took 7 hours with 4 up and then like 1.5 down. Matt B skied the steepest line of all of us but I don't have any pictures of it.

There was a brothel but it was not at the top but in the bottom of the bowl below the chutes. So everyrun the ladies would be out cheering us on and then stripping off all there clothes for us.

[chrish]

It looks like it was a great ride !
How were the conditions (snow pack, snow quality, avalanche risk, air temp, etc...)?

[Toque]

It was pretty cool. I wish the chutes had been longer though. They were lots of fun.
Have you skiied this area before?

But for conditions.

Snow was right down to the trainlhead. So skied right back to the car.

Temp was prob 5-10 C but along the ridges it was quite colder with windchill.

Avy conditions were alright. Didn't see any evidence of past slides and nothing really slid while we were there. The steeps we were skiing had been in the shade all morning so they were perfect corn so safe. The big bowl was a little sloppy but never slid. In the trees the snow was hard and so safe.

[chrish]

I went up to Karasawa last year. It was fun, but it's a long walk...
I was thinking of heading up to Yakedake maybe this weekend, or next weekend depending of the conditions...
by the way, where did you put the car? could you also explain me briefly which way to took up & down?

[Toque]

Just out of the Abo tunnel (The tunnel that connects Gifu with Nagano) on the Nagano side a road goes steeply up the hill to an onsen. So this is inbetween the road to Kamikochi and the Abo tunnel.

We parked at the onsen and hiked from there. The trailhead is a few switchbacks up. In a few weeks the road will probably be open so you could park at the actual trailhead. Its above the onsen.

We went up from there and it goes into a big bowl. It only took about 3.5 - 4 hours in. Pretty nice. Should be nice snow up there. But the bowl is southern facing so on a really hot day it would get pretty sloppy. The chutes are on northern facing terrain but are pretty short and you still have to decsend down the southern facing bowl.

When did you go to the Karasawa valley. I really want to ski in there. I had a good idea of riding bikes all along the river through Kamikochi and then ditching them at the bridge crossing and hiking up the valley. There are lots of good ski runs in there.

Hope this helps.

[chrish]

Thanks for all your valuable informations! I didn't know that there was a trailhead above the onsen. Let me check, and if I'm not so sure, I'll ask you again.

I went to Karasawa Valley last year, during GW (4/27～). I put the tent there and stayed for a few days. There was a lot stable snow, stable but getting wet at mid-day in the lower parts. There are quite a lot of very nice slopes there!

Another place that looks nice too is from Yarigatake-sanso. I never tried skiing from there yet, but both slopes (Nagano side & Gifu side) looks really great! Have you ever ski there?

[Fattwins]

Hey toque nice lines nice pics but please be carefull already a few accidents this spring so take caution.

Wish I could go but my ankle and the distance are a big factor. bag all the big peaks you can Im in kayak mode also due to the fast its been +25 degrees here most of the last 2 weeks.

[Toque]

Chrish - The lines in the Karasawa valley look really cool. So many chutes and nice lines on most aspects all around the bowl. And the elevation probably helps keep the snow nicer up high.

When you went was Kamikochi open or did you have to hike in through the tunnel?
Also if you have pictures wouldn't mind seeing them if its easy enough.

Fattwins - Kayaking looks really cool except for the fact that I don't like moving water. Scares the hell out of me in fact. Guess its good for your ankle though as its not really a leg sport. Sucks that your out for the season I was going to invite you on a trip whenever we get going again.

One thing that sucks about spring is that everything you put off over winter comes up to haunt you in late spring and you can't get out as much.

[chrish]

Hello Toque,
Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the Karasawa's trip...
I went there just the day when they openend the gates to Kamikochi, so I could get there by bus.
As you can imagine, the huts in Karasawa were 200% full, and the camping place was pretty packed too...