Chisenupuri Southeast Face

チセヌプリ | Chise-nupuri

Posted on Jan 24, 2023
0
SES
Posted on Jan 24, 2023
0 0
SES
6km

Distance

3.5 hours

Time

510m

Ascent

1134m

Highest point

5.5/10
Difficulty
Snow Icon | Hokkaido Wilds
Dec-Apr

Best season

GPX

KML

TOPO

GSI

Caution: Chisenupuri SE face is a popular backcountry zone, but requires a good knowledge and understanding of the snowpack – it is particularly avalanche-prone.

The southeast face of Chisenupuri チセヌプリ (1134m) in the Niseko Range is the powder pocket that just keeps on giving. Often in the lee of prevailing storms, this area is hope to some of the deepest powder in the range. Access is relatively straight forward too, with a snowed-in highway at the base of the face, and relatively safe ridge-line access to the face proper. Being classic avalanche terrain, utmost care is required here though - the face funnels into a moderately constrictive gully. With careful planning, however, this is arguably one of the range's most accessible backcountry powder runs.

We visited this route on Dec 30, 2020

Topomap

Route Map

Need to know details

Location

Chisenupuri is situated in the middle of the eastern end of the Niseko Range in southwestern Hokkaido, relatively close to the bustling ski resort of Niseko. This backcountry ski route has skiers climb to the south of the broad eastern face of Chisenupuri, and drop the southeastern aspect.

General notes

Along with Nitonupuri and Iwaonupuri, Chisenpuri is one of the most popular backcountry destinations in the Niseko Range. Access, snow quality, and terrain all add up to this area being a great first-stop in winter exploration in the area. This route also has an optional detour via the thermal Koyunuma 小湯沼 Pond – a steaming hot spring pond, suitable for a dip if you’re really keen.

All that said, the southeast face of Chisenupuri is also a good area to hold objectives lightly – skiing the SE face will depend heavily on good confidence in the stability of the snowpack.

The area is also close to a number of incredible natural onsen for apres ski soak.

Hut
None
Route details

In this description, we assume skiers will start from the Yusato Gate on Route 66, at the intersection with Route 58 to Goshiki Onsen. It’s also possible to start from the Chisenupuri Parking Lot, ascending the Chisenupuri south route via the public uptrack next to the Chisenupuri catskiing area (see our Chisenupuri South route guide here). From Yusato Gate, follow the snowed-in Route 66, under the now iconic (and heavily stickered) road sign, due west towards the southeast face of Chisenupuri. There are a couple of switchbacks along the way. Cutting corners on the switchbacks realistically has minimal return time-wise. Best to just stick to the road.

Soon after the sharp dogleg bend to the northeast, gain a narrow, heavily wooded spur leading to a compact plateau at around 850m. Carry on across the plateau due north to climb the southern ridge to access the Chisenupuri summit.

On the descent, if snowpack conditions allow it, ski the SE face fall line all the way to the road – a thrilling deep powder drop of around 400m vertical. Re-use your uptrack for laps.

Once you’ve had your fill of the SE face, if energy allows it, we’d heartily recommend descending via the Koyunuma 小湯沼 hotpool (location). On the western side of the pool are smaller pools that are great for soaking the feet in. We’ve also seen people swimming in the pool proper – do so at your own risk. This detour will require donning skins again to climb back out of the pool area, back to the Route 66 road. Note that this Koyunuma hotpool is completely separate from the larger Oyunuma 大湯沼 hotpool (location) further down the hill next to Yukichichibu Onsen.

Route Timing
Up | 2.5hrs
Down | 0.5hrs

Timing here assumes just a quick up-and-back trip. Add on a couple of hours if lapping the slope and/or taking a look at the Koyunuma Pond.

Transport

Public transport:

There is no public transport to this route. A taxi from central Hirafu to the Route 66 gate (24km) would cost around 7,500 to 8,000yen one way. Note that cellphone reception is limited at the Yusato Gate – Docomo carriers work OK, but others may not.

By car:

There is a small area at the end of the snow clearing around here at the Route 66 road closure gate, where four or five cars can fit without having to park on the side of the road along Route 66. If this small area is already full, you may see others parked on the side of the road, hard up against the snowbanks on the left (west) side of Route 66. Technically, this is illegal for a number of reasons – parking within the lane, parking too close to an intersection, etc. It can also effectively reduce Route 66 to one lane, causing traffic headaches. While we haven’t heard of vehicles being towed, please obey any signs posted, and always make as much effort as possible to not obstruct traffic. As backcountry user numbers continue to increase, we hope to see a feasible solution. In the meantime, however, it’s up to users to make good decisions and be careful not to cause inconvenience to others.

Physical maps
Print: HokkaidoWilds.org 1:25,000 TOPOMAP+
Niseko Backcountry map: Buy on Amazon.co.jp | See companion site for more purchase options
Official Topo Map: Chisenupuri (チセヌプリ) – map no. NK-54-20-7-4

NOTE: The official 1/25000 topo map(s) above can be purchased for 350yen from Kinokuniya bookstore next to Sapporo Station or online (in Japanese).

Aspect
The main aspect skiers are exposed to on the descent and/or ascent is Southeast. Other aspects that may also be encountered while following the route outlined on this page include: South. Therefore, keep an eye on the weather forecast a few days ahead of your trip to monitor wind, snow, and temperature. Also, since this route is in the general vicinity of the Shiribeshi area, consider looking at the Japan Avalanche Network avalanche bulletins (updated Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays at 8am) or the daily Niseko Avalanche Information website. These may give extra insight into avalanche conditions in the greater area around the route.

Snow and
route safety

The southeast face of Chisenupuri is classic avalanche terrain. The upper half of the descent route is steep, well above the treeline, and is generally in the lee of the prevailing NW storm cycles. As such, the snow can be very good, but this aspect can be heavily wind-loaded at times. Take extreme caution if choosing to ski that upper alpine portion. Also, this can be a very busy backcountry area; be aware of backcountry users above and below you at all times. By following the recommended routes you’ll have good spatial separation between skiing and skinning.

Chisenupuri Southeast Face Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

C

30

Time ascending

C

3

Technicality

Altitude

B

6

Hazards

B

12

Navigation

C

6

Totals

57/100

GRADES range from A (very difficult) to D (easy).  More details here. Rating rubric adapted from Hokkaido Yukiyama Guidebook 北海道雪山ガイド.

Weather forecast

Windy.com weather forecast for Chisenupuri
Onsen nearby

The closest onsen to the trailhead is Yukichichibu Onsen 雪秩父温泉 (location, 700yen, noon till 7pm, closed Tuesdays), about 1.5km down Route 66 on the way back to Hirafu. It’s a natural onsen with a large outdoor bath area. Yukichichibu also has an attached restaurant (11am till 2pm). Yukichichibu is a very sulphurous onsen and so you do tend to stink for a bit afterwards. Goshiki Onsen 五色温泉 (location, 800yen, 10am till 7pm) further up the road on Route 58 is a gorgeously rustic natural onsen. It is a must visit onsen for the region, with 100% pure hot spring water, flowing into outdoor baths surrounded by meters of snow.

Extra Resources
No extra English resources that we know of. If you know of any, please let us know in the comments.

Guide Options

If you’d like to ski this route and/or explore other Niseko areas together with a local certified guide, get in touch with Yasuko Kikuchi. Born and raised in Hokkaido, she’s a JMGA-certified guide now based in Sapporo. Her outdoor experience is broad and worldwide, having worked as a Canadian Ski Patrol member, and has sumitted a number of 6,000m+ peaks around the world. She speaks good English. In addition to Yasuko, also see a full list of English-speaking Hokkaido Mountain Guides Association (HMGA) guides on the HMGA website here

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Show Full Route Notes Close Route Notes

Route Trip Notes

We’ve skied this face a number of times, and it’s always a mixed bag in terms of weather. The snow is usually great. The last time we went, however, it was puking snow as we skied the face…

But then blue skies as we soaked at Koyunuma.

Comments | Queries | Reports

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Chisenupuri Southeast Face Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

C

30

Time ascending

C

3

Technicality

Altitude

B

6

Hazards

B

12

Navigation

C

6

Totals

57/100

GRADES range from A (very difficult) to D (easy). Hazards include exposure to avalanche and fall risk. More details here. Rating rubric adapted from Hokkaido Yukiyama Guidebook 北海道雪山ガイド.