This route report is a continuation of sorts from our trip up Mt. Sandan (here). Along with the boys from France, we had skirted across a gully from Mt. Sandan’s northwest face to Mt. Maetokachi’s northwest face.
The skin up Mt. Maetokachi started through spooky scarred forest. But soon enough we found ourselves once again dodging the dreaded low-lying pines.
In the end, we only made around an hour and a half of progress up Mt. Maetokachi before making the call to head down for the day. The peak was clearly in dense cloud, we’d already climbed in total for almost five hours, and the descent was not looking promising with the low pines. We did, however, take the time to scout the area out for terrain that would allow for a more enjoyable downhill ski run. The answer came in a beautiful wide gully, full with waist-deep powder. It was magic.
As if as icing on the cake, our final few minutes of descent were punctuated by a clear view over the Furano plains. Up till this point in the day they had been obscured by clouds. Smiles and more smiles.
The day was finished off with a soak in the free Fukiage Onsen (here). This wild onsen is just 10 minutes walk from the Hakuginso lodge, and is a great way to soothe the muscles after a long day. Just perfect.
