Last weekend, I went to Outdoor Gearzine's previously announced snow mountain experience event, "The ultimate snow mountain experience at Iwamorimatsu Hut at the foot of Mt. Makihata!"
DAY 1: The memorable debut of "Iglar"
The forecast had already predicted an incredibly warm wave this weekend, and sure enough, what's with this weather? It was the same last year. Every February event is planned with the expectation of the sweltering snowy mountains of midwinter, but for the second year in a row, it's been warm like spring. It's so sad, but will this ever become the norm?
Anyway, under the blue sky and warm breeze that you wouldn't expect to find in Joetsu in February, we started our journey to the mountain hut. Hiking with an overflowing amount of alcohol and food that we bought on impulse is always exhausting
Soon after, we arrived at the mountain hut and were surprised to find that there was surprisingly little snow compared to last year!
The photo below shows the entrance when I visited at the same time last year. This year, the light snow is so intense it almost makes me sad
After taking a break, we immediately tried our hand at building an igloo, one of the highlights of the trip
All the members had done extensive preparation for this, so right from the start they all worked incredibly efficiently, making the base in no time at all, and cutting out blocks one after another
However, after making it, we realized that when you're working with five people, it's easy to make it too big, and after we'd piled it up to a certain extent, we realized, "If we keep going like this, it's too big and we won't be able to stack the roof," so we quickly filled up half the space and made it a size smaller. Looking back, this early change of direction was a wise decision
To be honest, it was trial and error at first, but the more I did it, the more I got the hang of it, and I even managed to put together the roof, which had been a concern...and it was finally finished!
Well, I still have some regrets about the fact that the entrance was too big and I couldn't fill the gap, but it turned out pretty well for my first attempt
I thought an igloo would be difficult to set up before I tried it, but after actually doing it, I found that it was much easier (or rather, faster) to set up than a snow cave. Of course, it's best to build different types depending on the location and other conditions, but if you're in a place where you can build both, it was great to learn that an igloo is easier to set up than a snow cave and is more comfortable to stay in
Although I was only able to make a tentative igloo this time, there is still a long way to go to make a more comfortable and sturdy igloo. I will continue to work hard to become an even more skilled igloo builder
And then there's the much-anticipated evening: relaxing by the wood stove, enjoying mountain hut meals and local alcohol
However, on days like today, even though it's supposed to be the middle of winter, the wood stove doesn't feel as valuable...it's fine because the atmosphere is great, though
DAY 2: Hike through the clear snowy mountains and ski/snowboard!
The second day was sunny, cloudless, warm and with no wind. What a perfect day for hiking
How far we could go this time would depend on the situation, so for now we were heading towards Ezawayama. Three of the members were walking on snowshoes, while the rest were mountain skiing and snowboarding. Each of us was aiming for the same peak using our favorite activities
First thing in the morning, we struggled with the crunchy slopes and the steep climb up to the ridge, but as we made our way through the magnificent primeval beech forest...we were greeted with an incredible view that can only be seen during the snowy season
The two days at Dekisugi were filled with perfect weather and a once-in-a-lifetime experience
On the way back, we finished off the trip with a relaxing soy sauce ramen and a hot spring bath, a Niigata specialty
If you are interested, please look forward to next year. See you at Iwamorimatsugoya!
The next one-day snow mountain climbing event will be held on Saturday, March 28th. The snow is melting early this season, so if you're not careful, the snow mountain climbing season will be over in no time. If you're interested, please take this opportunity to join us
Please see this page for details on participation and the application form
Related reading
