[December Event Report] First time hiking in the snow at Tanigawadake Tenjin Ridge: "First time hiking in the snow and gear experience"

Last weekend, as previously announced, Outdoor Gearzine held a snow mountain hike and gear experience event at the Tenjin Ridge on Mt. Tanigawa. Six other participants attended.

The day before, Mt. Tanigawa was suddenly transformed into a full-fledged winter mountain.

Of course, this event couldn't begin without snow, and the snow was so deep that the difficult routes were too tough for first-time climbers. So, for three weeks prior to the event, I had been keeping an eye on weather websites, weather forecasts, and live cameras in various locations.

However, it turned out that a cold wave that hit just before the event brought abundant snow to the mountains on the Sea of ​​Japan side, and on the day of the event on the 6th, the front had completely passed, and the area was covered by high pressure, with clear skies and no wind in the forecast. As a result, it turned out that we could enjoy any of the courses we had considered, which was a pleasant surprise.

So, from among the many options, we decided on the Tanigawadake Tenjin Ridge. This area packs all the thrills of snowy mountains, from breaking through deep snow to walking along the ridge with crampons, into a short course, and as long as there is solid snow, there is no better route for beginners.

We left at 3am. As planned, we were ready to leave and line up at the platform for the first ropeway train at 8:30am, but due to a mistake by the driver (myself) and everyone having trouble getting changed and packing, we ended up waiting until 10am.

It takes time to prepare, as you may not be used to it, from sizing your snow gear such as ice axes, crampons, and snowshoes to figuring out how to store them in your backpack.

Isn't it amazing that you can choose from a wide variety of snow mountain gear from authentic brands?

By the way, this event originally started from a comment made by a participant at an offline event: "I want to climb a snowy mountain too." However, when it comes to actually starting out on a snowy mountain, the hurdles are inevitably high, both physically and financially. Outdoor Gearzine wanted to give a little push to those enthusiastic solo hikers who couldn't take that final step, and we were grateful to have the following impressive manufacturers cooperate with us this time (in no particular order).

• Black Diamond

• PETZL

• BLUE ICE

• MSR

• CAMP

At manufacturer-led events, it's rare to see multiple brands used side by side like this, and at large events, there aren't many opportunities for everyone to do things together, such as climbing an actual mountain.

Now that I think about it, it's rare to find such a luxurious opportunity (and the participation fee is also a great deal!).

In any case, I am extremely grateful to all the manufacturers who cooperated with this exciting project!

...Anyway, I finally got off at Tenjindai Station and began my first climb up a snowy mountain.

The weather was perfect, with a clear blue sky and absolutely no wind.

In fact, we knew in advance that there would be no people on the trail until the day before due to ropeway maintenance, so if we had started walking right after it opened, we were sure that we would have entered snow-clearing heaven (or hell?). Although we missed out on being the first to do so due to our late start, we were sure to be able to use the trail to get our feet used to it.

To be honest, we thought that with this weather we could quickly reach the peak and come back, and then use the extra time to do some walking practice. Of course, we had no idea at the time that it would turn out like that.

If I could say one thing to myself back then, when we were all casually taking photos, I would say, "You're so sweet...sweeter than Tianjin sweet chestnuts."

Tenjin Ridge is a route where you can enjoy the diverse terrain created by the snow and slopes.

The approach to the ridge starts on a gentle slope. There are clear tracks, so we start by walking barefoot without any shoes on to get a feel for how far you can walk, and conversely, at what point it becomes "difficult to walk."

Soon we came across a steep slope of packed snow and put on crampons.

No matter how many times you try, putting on crampons on a snowy mountain is still a struggle. Placing your feet on crampons spread out on unstable footing, with snowballs covering the soles of your feet, and fastening the straps with gloved hands can be especially daunting for a first-timer. Still, everyone made good use of their practice on flat ground, and, despite our concerns, they were able to put them on surprisingly easily.

It was the first time for almost everyone to walk with crampons, but they were impressed by how easy it was to walk on snow and how secure it was to not slip. This is the power of 12-prong crampons from a professional manufacturer.

There was no wind, the temperature wasn't too cold, and above all, the snow was beautiful. Everyone was smiling, enjoying the pleasant feeling of being on a snowy mountain right after it snowed, something you don't get in the spring mountains.

After walking for a while, it gets so hot, even in the winter mountains in December, that you start to want to take off your jacket. Climbing a snowy mountain, which you've only ever imagined, is something that you don't need to be afraid of, and on the contrary, you start to realize that there are difficulties in these places.

Unexpected sudden braking...!

I was making good progress and just around the corner from the Kumaanazawa refuge hut when suddenly the trail started to back up. As expected of the Tenjin Ridge, on such a fine day, there were lots of hikers, including many students, so I was feeling relaxed, but then I saw that the person at the front was already breaking through the snow. What? It's already 11 o'clock! Something's wrong...?

Normally, many people would have already started to make their way down the mountain. Even if we needed to push through the snow, was it really possible that we hadn't even made it to the shelter by 11 o'clock? Had the leader simply mistook the trail, or...? Before we knew it, there was a long line of over a dozen people, and the people behind us, not understanding what was going on, were showing signs of irritation, creating an uneasy atmosphere... gulp.

So, after gathering various pieces of information from the surrounding area, it seemed that there really were no traces yet, and that the leader was breaking through the snow without even wearing crampons. And it seemed that the other climbers in the line behind the leader were just following behind and hadn't even taken turns. What's going on?!

It was unheard of to break through the snow barefoot, but they didn't take turns, they didn't have crampons or snowshoes, and even if they did, they didn't know the standard practice of taking turns before getting tired (although I don't think it's a matter of whether they knew or didn't), and there were people here and there in the line who didn't speak the same language, so they couldn't communicate... There were so many things that could be criticized. This was the first time I'd seen something like this, and I'm not sure if it's common these days, but I was a little surprised that this is what Tanigawadake has become.

Anyway, once we understood the situation, I, along with a few others who had crampons, went to the front and decided to help with the snow-clearing. Those who knew what they were doing decided to cleave the snow all the way to the refuge hut. Finally, we arrived at Kumaanazawa refuge hut and took a long break. I didn't expect it to be this difficult, but I also didn't expect to be cleaving through wet snow so soon after the start of the snow mountain season.

Since there was no guarantee that the trail would be satisfactory from this point on, I decided to change into snowshoes from here on. Usually, I do the opposite, from snowshoes to crampons from around this point on.

Since there was a possibility that we would still have to break through the snow from here on out, it was getting a bit tough to reach the peak, so we decided to go as far as we could from here to Tengu no Tomariba, which had a good view and a nice cliff edge.

A magnificent view of white and blue that will blow away all your fatigue

When you switch from crampons to snowshoes, your walking style changes. At first, it was awkward, my feet were wobbly, and I even tripped over occasionally, but I soon got used to it. One theory is that this is because the MSR snowshoes I was wearing were the best.

This is where Tenjin Ridge becomes fun. Emerging from the forest, the snow ridge walk with an open view is so amazing that you will forget how tired you were.

Because it's a winter mountain, the air is crisp and clear, offering an unobstructed panorama that has everyone's fingers busy taking pictures.

We finally reached the Tengu Rest Area, the planned turnaround point. However, it was difficult to continue further in terms of time, so we decided to take another break here and turn back.

In the end, we didn't make it to the peak, but I still felt it was a very enjoyable first experience walking on a snowy mountain, using a variety of tools depending on the conditions.

I think that the participants were able to gradually get a sense of the splendor of the magnificent scenery that they would never experience in their daily lives, and also of the fear that comes with being so close to the dangers of winter mountains, where small unexpected things can take longer, the weather can be a little off, plans can go awry, and even something as small as that can suddenly put your life in danger.

In any case, the retreat gave the party a new goal to aim for, so in that sense it was a great mountain trip.

We ended the day by promising to return to the snowy mountains with this group. After descending, we all went to a pork cutlet restaurant in Numata to replenish the calories we had lost!

Finally, we would like to thank the manufacturers' agents, Black Diamond, PETZL, BLUE ICE, MSR, and CAMP, for lending us their gear to try out!

Thank you very much to all the participants.

The snow season has just begun, so look forward to our next event!

   

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