The only real question mark for me on this traverse was what would be awaiting us on the narrow ridge from Hoshioki-yama to Teine-yama. Yamareco.com reports were scant on details, but from what I’d read, it was possible, if we were willing to boot-pack in places.
The issue was timing. It was unlikely we’d get to Sapporo Kokusai on the bus before 9am. We’d need to be keeping the pressure on during the traverse if we were to make it to the other end before dark, let alone before the last public buses left Teine ski area.
Timbah, Haidee and I met at the first stop on the Sapporo to Sapporo Kokusai bus route, the Keio Plaza Hotel near Sapporo station. To get there, Haidee and I walked from our apartment to Shin-Sapporo Station, and took the JR train to Sapporo Station.
The bus ride to the ski area felt relatively efficient once we were out of the city. When we arrived at Sapporo Kokusai, we were the only ones not to run to the shelter of the main building. The sun was shining, but it was windy. We suited up at the bus stop and got on our way.
Once we were away from the hustle and bustle of the ski area car park, it was quiet and relaxing, skinning downhill through forests of shirakaba white birch.
We made good time along the semi-flat approach to the Okuteine-yama trailhead. About halfway, we passed the old Helvetia Hütte, managed by Hokkaido University. We’d stayed in this hut once before, a number of years ago.
Overhead, the clouds were racing across the sky, suggesting that we were possibly in for some very blustery conditions on the higher portion of the traverse.
For now, we were walking in glorious, warm sunshine.
The Okuteine-yama trailhead was full of cars. The trail heading along the stream in the snow was hard-packed and defined. A mix of ski tracks and snowshoe tracks.
There was a chance that committing to the high portion of the traverse this early on would mean we’d be exposed to strong winds for longer. However, the flat trail was hardly inspiring, so we decided to start climbing sooner rather than later, and head up to the summit of Tsuge-yama.
About 1.5km along the trail, we had the option of carrying along the well-defined but only very gradually ascending trail, or commit to a short but steep climb up to Tsuge-yama, the start of the high ridgeline that would take us all the way to Teine-yama.
We followed snowshoe tracks up to a steep spur, and had to don ski crampons for a few hundred meters – the ridge was wind-buffed and icy.
A party of snowshoers descended past us as we ascended – it looked like they were having an easier time of it than us.
This early crux-like climb was rewarded with a broad plateau-like final approach to the Tsuge-yama summit.
The summit gave us good views across to the low peaks of Jozankei to the southwest.
The diminutive summit of Tsuge-yama would be the first of several peaks we’d summit today.
From Tsuge-yama, we would leave our skins on the whole way to the final descent off Teine-yama. There were some ups and downs along the way, but these just served to give us practice with downhill skiing with skins on.
We made our way across the broad ridgeline and snowfields east of Okuteine-yama-no-ie Hut, gradually getting our first glimpses of Teine-yama’s distinctive peak.
As we crested the summit rim of Hoshioki-yama, we got our first views eastwards to the urban sprawl of Ishikari Bay, Ishikari City, and Sapporo City.
Dropping off Hoshioki-yama to the narrow ridge to Teine-yama proved challenging. We decided to wrap around the summit proper on the northern side of the peak, given the less steep slopes.
Even then, the slopes were steep, and more consequentially, isolated features were very wind-loaded, with thin wind-slab reacting to us skinning across them. In one spot, Timbah, walking ahead of Haidee and me, set off a very minor slide.
We moved as fast as we could, and made it to the narrow ridge in one piece.
We were on our skis for 100m or so before it became clear that we’d make better time bootpacking. The time of year meant the snowpack was icy on either side of the ridge. The only safe way along the ridge was right on top.
This short ridgeline section from the flat summit of Hoshioki-yama, predictably, took much longer than what we’d done so far.
By the time we were approaching the impressive cliffs of the western flanks of the Teine-yama summit, our shadows were starting to grow long.
We were now on borrowed time.
We were also now more or less committed to skiing all the way down into Nishino. It was unlikely we’d make it to the Teine ski area bus stop before the last bus for the day left.
It was only once we were below the cliffs that it became apparent how we’d skirt them in order to get to the Teine ski area. It was the first time for all of us to visit this area, so at first glance, this part of the route seemed impossible.
A steep traverse, however, made light work of the final approach to the ski area.
With shadows lengthening even more, we hurried to the main ski area to complete the final few kilometers to the Neopara summit, where we’d complete the descent into Sapporo City on skis.
It was now just after 5pm, and the ski area was deserted. It felt like we were walking around a closed-up theme park after hours.
The sun was threatening to drip below the horizon as we made it to the summit of Teine Neopara.
From here, we’d need to ski mildly breakable crust in the fading twilight to the base of the mountain.
The descent was bearable. Not in any way the powder wonder that it usually is.
Street lights were replacing light from the sky as we finally made it to the base of the mountain, in the quiet suburb of Nishino.
In silence, we switched from ski boots to street shoes for the final 30 minute walk along sidewalks to Miyanosawa subway station. We were tired but satisfied to have knocked off almost 25km of traverse from Sapporo Kokusai ski area to Sapporo City.
