It was Jan 25th. After a year-end bout of influenza, and then a string of weekend work commitments, it felt like a real treat to finally get the skis out of storage for the first time this 2024/2025 winter season. What better way to start the season than with a more-than-a-walk-than-a-ski walk up Mayoizawa-yama.
Like most trips on HokkaidoWilds.org, this route up the western side of Mayoizawa-yama had been on the list for a long while. It had always been pushed to the side, however, in favour of better, deeper powder skiing elsewhere. But today we finally made it happen.
The only hiccup was at the start of the trip.
“I don’t have my boots!” exclaimed Haidee. In the fog of the early morning sleepiness, we’d missed putting her boots in the van.
Luckily, we still had her piste skis in the van, however, so Haidee resigned to doing laps at the nearby Sapporo Kokusai resort with rental boots.
The rest of us pushed on with the plan. The route was as expected. Pleasant road walking, some short-cutting up through the forest, and a nide flat-ish plateau approach to the summit proper.
On the descent, we mostly stuck to the road for a rip-roaring, fun blat back to the trailhead.
