It was shaping up to be a warm, clear, early spring day. We were all keen to get out, but wanted to miss some forecast wind for later in the day. We’d all never climbed up the minor peak of Maemekunnai-dake, so we decided to check it out. Ben and I had been to Niimi Onsen previously on the Niseko Haute Route, but had skipped Maemekunnai on that traverse.
We all met up near the snow clearing end of the road up to Niimi Onsen and got on the way. The previous days of warm weather and then a cold night had rendered the snow on the road into a concrete like consistency.
It wasn’t long before the spring warmth of the day brought out the big guns.
Ben and I had been looking forward to seeing the Niimi Onsen ruins again. The last time we saw them was on the traverse, with great high walls of snow around them. That time around, Ben and Timbah were like moths to a flame, taking quick advantage of the free warmth next to our overnight camp.
Being later in the spring now, however, the water was not looking nearly as inviting. Algae and slime now coated all surfaces.
After a quick snack at the onsen ruins, we carried on up the road and gained the ridge that would take us to within a stone’s throw of Niimi Pass. We were now hiking through classic Niseko Range old-growth forest.
We hiked parallel along the gully until we found a good spot to cross. From there it was a straight shot to the summit. As we approached the summit, however, the clouds started to roll in, cutting us off from the heat of the sun. In the alpine, a very stiff wind was blowing too. We went from bare arms to wrapped up well very quickly.
Mercifully, the spring snow was advanced just enough at the summit to allow an early stand of sasa to provide a welcome break from the wind. We ripped skins, gobbled down some more snacks, and dropped down the delightfully corn-ish south face.
We resisted the temptation to drop too far down the face, and soon made a descending traverse back to our uptrack on the other side of the gully. Being mid spring, the gully was well filled in.
The ski back along the road was….a great workout, to put it positively. It was not quite steep enough to slide without considerable poling or skating. We were all happy for it to be done at the end of it.
This was a trip we would be unlikely to repeat for Maemekunnai-dake alone. Perhaps a traverse across the tops to Mekunnai-dake would make the road-walking more worth it for a future trip.
