A nasty rumour is currently doing the rounds. You may have heard it. Or you might even be guilty of saying it yourself. According to this rumour there’s ‘no steep stuff in Japan’. No ‘real’ mountains. No ‘challenging terrain’. Well we’re here to tell you this isn’t true.
The Japan Alps are a palatial range of mountains that bisect the main island of Honshu. The highest peak in this range is Mount Hotaka, which sits at 3,190 meters above sea level. These mountains are, quite literally, awesome. Their sharp, soaring peaks are flanked by wide open faces, reminiscent of the Dolomites in Italy or the Canadian Rockies. The Hakuba Valley lies in the heart of this range and is home to 10 ski resorts, all offering a huge variety of terrain including runs steep enough to satisfy even those who suffer badly from vertical snobbery.
We will let you in on a little secret though. If you really want to ski or board the kind of terrain that will make you pee your pants a little then you’ll have to work for it. The Hakuba Valley is renowned for its easy to reach side and backcountry skiing and snowboarding. A great example is the Happo North Faces, which is a delectable and extremely tempting zone located just behind the Happo-One resort. However, just because it’s relatively simple to get to, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be approached with caution. Avalanches are a real danger so it’s highly recommended that those who wish to venture beyond the resort’s boundaries do so only with an experienced guiding team. Rhythm Hakuba works closely with the crew at the Evergreen Outdoor Center whose Director, Dave Enright, has been guiding and patrolling in the area for 15 years. Dave is extremely passionate when it comes to avalanche safety and educating people about accessing out-of-bounds areas responsibly. Evergreen offers guided group tours for intermediate to expert skiers and snowboarders. Private and tailored tours are also available. Those who want to take it to the next level can also book in for an avalanche skills lesson.
Rhythm Hakuba supports its customers’ backcountry gear fetishes by providing the very best backcountry equipment on the market. Store manager and full time ripper Austin Toner has picked out a few of his favourites for us…
“Some of the top BC skis we offer are the Volkl BMT 109, the Armada Kufo and the Armada Declivity. The Declivity was built to JP Auclair’s specifications and was his last gift to the ski world before his passing. All three of these skis will hold their own extremely well in the Hakuba backcountry.”
“For snowboarders the Jones Flagship is hugely popular. We also stock boards from Offshore Snowshapes, which are handmade in Australia and definitely suit the conditions here in Japan.”
“You’ll also find everything else you need for your adventure including snowshoes, pieps, probes and shovels. We also have a huge range of packs including all the best from Dakine and avie jet packs from BCA.”
So now you know what to say next time someone says there’s no steep terrain in Japan. Or you can just nod, smile and keep the secret to yourself. And next time you’re thinking about dropping into the backcountry, drop into Rhythm Hakuba first!
