Posted on Feb 16, 2023
0
S
Posted on Feb 16, 2023
0 0
S
13km

Distance

4 hours

Time

733m

Ascent

981m

Highest point

4.5/10
Difficulty
Snow Icon | Hokkaido Wilds
Jan-Apr

Best season

GPX

KML

TOPO

GSI

Maemekunnai-dake 前目国内岳 (981m) is a minor peak in the Niseko Range, just east of the much more imposing Mekunnai-dake 目国内岳 (1220m). It boasts a short but sharp south-facing descent from the summit, and a very easy approach. The long snowed-in Route 268 road can put some people off this route, but it's a great relaxed hike on skis, particularly in the less-deep spring months. The ruins of the old Niimi Onsen 新見温泉 still remain in the form of foundations and hot spring water still gushing from the hillside.

We visited this route on Apr 17, 2022

The crew: Haidee, Saoka, Ben

Topomap

Route Map

Need to know details

Location

Maemekunnai-dake sits less than 2km east of its bigger sibling Mekunnai-dake, just west of Niimi Pass in the center of the Niseko Range in southwest Hokkaido. This approach to Maemekunnai’s diminutive peak starts well down the snowed-in Route 268 south of Niimi Onsen.

General notes

Niimi Onsen used to be a hidden oasis until around 2019, when it finally closed its doors to the public. With the onsen’s closure, Route 268 is no longer cleared in the winter. Skiers wishing to access Mekunnai-dake or Maemekunnai-dake must now make a long 4.5km trek along the closed road before getting to the start of the ascent proper. It’s a nice enough ski along the road though, with good views of the Okuniseko Gorge along the way.

Niimi Onsen is a shadow of its former self. The buildings have been demolished, and only the foundations remain. There’s still an impressive amount of hot spring water gushing from the hillside though, so it makes for a curious distraction along the way.

Hut
None
Route details

Park up near (but not too close to) the end of the snow clearing on Route 268 to Niimi Onsen. Skin the 4.5km or so to just past Niimi Onsen, on the road the entire time. At the hairpin bend at the 568m mark after the onsen, gain the ridge on the looker’s left of the gully and start the gradual climb due north. Just climb along the gully until you find a suitable safe point to cross. The gully all but disappears not too far from Niimi Pass proper, so there’s no need to rush across the gully too soon.

Once across the gully, the climb becomes steeper, but there’s only a very short section where kickturns might be necessary. The broad, non-descript summit itself is just beyond the treeline, with good views west to Mekunnai-dake, and east along the range to Shirakaba-yama 白樺山 and Shakunage-dake シャクナゲ岳.

For the descent, skiers have the option to ski back the way they came (less steep and less complicated) or to ski the south face proper. If skiing the south face proper, there will be some traversing to do to get back to the gully you ascended beside on the way up. Depending on the season and surface conditions, there may also be some ascending required as you find a suitable place to cross the gully.

On the 4.5km descent back down the road, spring surface conditions can make it possible to ‘skate’ along the rather flat, only just downhill road. In softer surface conditions, skiers may face the agonizing decision whether to struggle with poling along their uptrack, or committing to putting on skins – either way, the road is quite frustratingly flat but not flat.

Route Timing
Up | 3hrs
Down | 1hrs

Transport

Public transport:

There is no public transport to this route.

By car:

There is no dedicated parking for this route – skiers will typically park on the side of the road near the end of the snow clearing (around here). Don’t park right at the end of the snow clearing, as this disrupts snow-clearing work. There are signs at the end of the snow-clearing requesting that people don’t park there.

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 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 main point of concern on this route is the creek/gully crossing soon after leaving the road at around 650m in altitude. In spring, this gully with its tall, steep walls is easily navigated, but in the deep winter months, it is a considerable terrain trap. Make sure to look for a suitably safe crossing point.

Maemekunnai-dake (South approach) Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

B

35

Time ascending

C

3

Technicality

Altitude

B

6

Hazards

D

0

Navigation

D

0

Totals

44/100

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 Maemekunnai-dake
Onsen nearby

The closest onsen to the trailhead is Yukichichibu Onsen 雪秩父温泉 (location, 700yen). This ‘muddy’ onsen is a must-visit in the area, with good outdoor baths. They also have a lunch-oriented restaurant. For the hardy, it’s also not impossible to have a soak in the Niimi Onsen ruins, but beware of broken glass and other remains in the concrete channel. The spring water is also unregulated and therefore very hot. For most, using it as a foot bath will suffice.

Extra Resources

Niseko Backcountry map: Buy on Amazon.co.jp | See companion site for more purchase options

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

Support us

Like this content? Buy the HokkaidoWilds.org team a coffee. 50% of tips go to the Hokkaido Wilds Foundation.

Show Full Route Notes Close Route Notes

Route Trip Notes

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.

Comments | Queries | Reports

Done this route to Maemekunnai-dake, or others nearby? Thinking of doing it? Please post any feedback, reports, or queries here. Thanks!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

See More Like this

Printable Maemekunnai-dake Topomap

TOPO DOWNLOAD (PDF, 9.1MB)

Download may take some time

Hokkaido Wilds Foundation

We’ve got affiliate links on HokkaidoWilds.org to help fund the Hokkaido Wilds foundation.

The Foundation gets a small commission on sales from affiliate links, but we only link to stuff we think is worth checking out for people keen on the outdoors in Hokkaido and Japan.

The Hokkaido Wilds Foundation is a fund where 100% of funds are donated to Hokkaido volunteer groups involved in sustainable, safe, and responsible access to the Hokkaido outdoors.

Learn more here

ADVANCED FILTERS

Filter by location

About Filters

REGION: The general mountain/geographical region the route is in.

BEST MONTH(S): Time of year a route is suited to visiting. Some pop all season, some are more limited.

DIFFICULTY: How strenuous a route is, and how technical it is. Full details here.

FREERIDE/SKITOUR: Very subjective, but is a route more-of-a-walk-than-a-ski or the other way around? Some routes are all about the screaming downhill (freeride), some are more about the hunt for a peak or nice forest (ski-tour). Some are in between. 

MAIN ASPECT: Which cardinal direction the primary consequential slope is facing, that you might encounter on the route. More details here.

ROUTE TAGS: An eclectic picking of other categories that routes might belong to.

SEARCH BY LOCATION: You can find routes near your current location – just click on the crosshairs (). You may need to give permission to HokkaidoWilds.org to know your GPS location (don’t worry, we won’t track you). Or, type in a destination, such as Niseko or Sapporo or Asahikawa etc.

Please let us know how we can make it easier to narrow down your search. Contact Rob at rob@hokkaidowilds.org with your suggestions.

Maemekunnai-dake (South approach) Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

B

35

Time ascending

C

3

Technicality

Altitude

B

6

Hazards

D

0

Navigation

D

0

Totals

44/100

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.