“Definitely the steepest I’ve done” – Mt Shiribetsu and West Hokkaido’s gnarliest terrain

As told to Jamie O’Brien by Robin Watts.

It’s often said that Hokkaido isn’t steep. People come for the powder, but it’s almost as if the amazing snow quality makes up for the fact that challenging terrain is hard to find. There are in-bounds areas in Niseko and surrounding resorts that reach 35-40 degrees, but these are usually short-lived and few and far between. Most resort skiing in Japan is below 30 degrees in pitch. Genuine black runs with consistent pitch and long descents are very rare.

Of course, steep terrain exists in Hokkaido; it’s just that there aren’t any lifts to get you there. After an introduction to backcountry day and backcountry tours at Kamui and Kiroro, we were ready to ask Rhythm Japan, our guiding company for the day, to find us some steeper terrain.

Mt Shiribetsu

Mt Shiribetsu is part of the string of volcanoes that make up the Niseko Volcanic Group. Roughly speaking, you have Niseko United on Mt Annupuri in the northwest side of the range, with Rusutsu Ski Resort and Mt Shiribetsu on the southeast side, and Mt Yotei in the middle, all within about 30 minutes drive of each other, and very close to all the luxuries that the area has to offer: restaurants, onsen, shopping and hotels. If you’re looking for a location that combines modern luxury with easy-access backcountry, there’s nowhere better in Asia. In Japan, there can be a complete lack of basic amenities close to backcountry areas. Sometimes, even food is hard to come by.

The Niseko Volcanic Group, with Niseko United on the left, Mt Yotei centre, and Mt Shiribetsu on the right (marked with an orange pin). Image: opensnow.com

The Shiribetsu’s backcountry is famous for easy-access steep terrain and deep, dry powder, but it’s also known for extreme danger. It’s the only place in Hokkaido that you can currently heliski. There are descents ranging from 20 to 40 degrees, with some chutes reaching 50 degrees.

The meaning of “easy access” here is immediately apparent. Of course, you still need to walk up the mountain, but the ascent of Shiribetsu was much more efficient than other hikes we did. The ridge that we took to the summit almost acts like an access ramp, so you can just skin straight up it, circle around the face, then drop in and end up back where you started. On other tours where we accessed steep terrain, walking in switchbacks to gain altitude was punishing. Both from the extra distance travelled and the not easy task of making kick turns in waist-deep powder. A fall when doing this can rob you of most of your energy and fill every part of your kit with snow. Here, it was a relatively simple hike up the ridge, and the fresh snow had been blown away from the exposed areas, so we didn’t have to trudge through deep snow. So, although the terrain here is steeper, the ascent was less technical.

Still, this probably isn’t the location for your first backcountry tour, but it’s certainly doable after a handful. The difficult part of the particular route we took is the descent rather than the ascent. With all the other tours we did in Hokkaido, it was the other way around. That doesn’t mean it was easy. It’s still a two-to-three-hour hike; it just means on this particular day on this route, the hike up was relatively straightforward.

The terrain

Sometimes in this part of the world, the snow is a little too deep for the angle, and it can be hard to gain momentum before it’s time to stop. No such problems here. The run down had a consistent slope of 35-40 degrees and was easily the steepest we have tackled in Japan in the last 13 years across over 50 different ski areas.

It was scary (in a good way) standing at the top. The wind was strong and every movement sent snow tumbling in front of you. There was good variation with some tight trees, open sections, small ridges and pillows.

This type of terrain allows a different kind of skiing and riding. It’s true big mountain snowboarding. You aren’t waiting in line to make leisurely turns through a powder field one by one in a row. You’ve got the freedom to pick a line and get lots of high-speed powder turns in. It’s a real feeling of freedom. In my opinion, this was especially good and something I’ve never really experienced before.

It wasn’t all steep, but the run back to the vehicles was also great fun, weaving through the trees.

The ascent

We met Francisco, our guide for the day, at Lawson Kyogoku to stock up on snacks. The weather was overcast and snowing lightly. The wind was also light, but as we soon found out, it was blowing a gale on the mountain. We parked along the road on the northwest side of Mount Shiribetsu, the opposite side of the hill to Rusutsu resort. The starting point was around 400m altitude.

After setting up and having a short conversation with Francisco, we set off on a flat section from the road. We didn’t go through any search and rescue dummy runs. This expectation seemed to be that everyone knew what they were doing.

There was around 10-15 cm of fresh snow on the ground, but the touring equipment does a great job of keeping you on top. At around 600m altitude, it became noticeably steeper.

We reached the foothills of Mt Shiribetsu and started climbing through an area of saplings. Image: Robin Watts

The climb was straightforward, and we were able to walk directly uphill without the need for switchbacks. Some areas were windblown, so the powder had been swept away, and the snowpack was firm.

Wind had removed the soft snow from the ridge, making travel easier. Image: Robin Watts

As we ascended, we entered the cloud cover around the peak, and the winds grew stronger. At around 800m, we turned right onto a ridge. Over the edge, it was very steep (see the image at the top of this article), but that face had caught the wind, and the snow had been ripped off. We hiked from there along the ridge to the false peak using the ridge as shelter. It was a long traverse, but not difficult. We then stopped at the false peak to transition for our descent.

What’s the pre-tour process like?

Rhythm Japan is a big operation. Their booking process is somewhat automated, and there’s less person-to-person contact than you get with smaller operations. Personally, I enjoyed the efficiency, straightforwardness and certainty of an online system. I confirmed all our details and skill levels online, and we were told to report to the Hirafu rental centre. We did this the day before our tour in early February.

Rhythm Japan’s rental centre in Grand Hirafu

The Rhythm rental centre is a wonderful place. Retail, hire, a cafe, queueing areas, automated systems, so many staff and lots of people, but still plenty of space. I’ve seen other large rental centres in Japan, but they tend to be a bit soulless, part of the base area, and just for rentals. This is a purpose-built mixed-use space designed to efficiently get you set up with your gear and get you on the slopes.

The interior is spacious and welcoming

Rhythm is a great option just for renting gear, lessons, guided tours and even packages that combine them. It’s a one-stop shop where you can get pretty much everything you need with minimal fuss. Rhythm has outlets in Hakuba and Furano as well as here in Niseko.

After checking in, we were directed back across the car park to a small hut where Felecia set us up with our backcountry gear. She was very welcoming and friendly, and double checked all our gear to make sure everything was fully functional. (This level of service isn’t always the case, so when collecting gear, make sure you also check everything yourself.) The avalanche equipment is all new, high-quality BCA gear, and the splitboards are Season Pass.

Rhythm Japan’s backcountry rental hut

If you’re coming to Hokkaido and you’re worried that it’s going to be a little bit too mellow, Shiribetsu has to be in your plans. It’s so easy to take a day out of a resort trip and experience some of the steepest terrain there is in this part of the world. Shiribetsu is a dangerous place, so it’s particularly important to go with a reputable guide. If you’re experienced and you’re looking for a friendly guiding company with high-quality equipment that can show you Hokkaido’s best spots, you can’t go wrong with Rhythm Japan.