Posted on Feb 12, 2018
0
NW
Posted on Feb 12, 2018
0 0
NW
2.8km

Distance

2 hours

Time

165m

Ascent

475m

Highest point

3.5/10
Difficulty
Snow Icon | Hokkaido Wilds
Jan-May

Best season

The area north of Mt. Shokanbetsu's peak (署寒別岳, 1,491m), nestled deep in the Rumoi/Mashike Ranges on the Japan Sea coast in Hokkaido, offers a veritable feast of ski tour routes (the classic approach is here). In this route guide, I outline a short route up Mt. Shokanbetsu's Western Ridge (西尾根, nishi-one), just a short skin from the Shokanso Hut. This ridge offers easy access to good, sheltered steep skiing on well-spaced tree-runs. The valley floors on both sides consist of deep gullies though, so take extra care to test the stability of the slopes before you drop in.

Last updated Apr 2, 2021

Route Map

Need to know details

Location

This Mt. Shokanbetsu Western Ridge (西尾根, Nishi-one) ski touring route is just south southwest of Mashike Town, right on the Japan Sea coast about 2.5 hours north of Sapporo City. It starts from the Shokanso Hut (署寒荘), here.

General notes

This route is probably best considered either a bad-weather option when summiting Mt. Shokanbetsu is not possible, or a fun route to access some of the steep downhill skiing that this area offers. If you’ve never been to this area before, and you hit it on a good weather day, certainly head up Mt. Shokanbetsu via the marked ski touring summit route here first. This Western Ridge route starts at the Shokanso Hut, but as mentioned in the Shokanso Hut route guide (here), if you’re visiting this area before the access road is cleared in early April, you’ll need to skin 4.5km (about 1.5 to 2 hours) along the access road just to get to the start of the route at the hut. From mid-April, the hut is accessible by car.

  • Other attractions: Mashike Town is known for its old early Hokkaido pioneer history and buildings. Don’t miss Hokkaido’s northern-most sake brewery (here), which has daily tours of the brewery and free sake tasting. We had an awesome seafood lunch on our last day at an old-school sushi restaurant (here) next to the old train station.
  • NOTE: We did this route previous to the 2018/2019 winter season. From 2018, non-emergency stays at the Shokanso Hut are not allowed during the winter months while the road is closed.
Hut
Shokanso Hut (full details here)

Shokanso Hut (署寒荘, 295m) is a beautiful three-story hut nestled in the sheltered Ponshokanbetsu River valley about 15km south into the hills from Mashike Town on the Rumoi Coast of Hokkaido. In the spring to fall months, it is possible to drive directly to the hut. The summer trail up Mt. Shokanbetsu (署寒別岳, 1,492m) starts from the hut. In winter, the hut is currently designated as an emergency-only hut – no non-emergency stays are allowed as of 2018. The hut is available for general use from around April each year. As far as atmosphere and facilities go, we rate Shokanso Hut as one of the best in Hokkaido.

Route details

There are no route markers for this route.

Route Timing
Up | 1hrs
Down | .5hrs

About 1 to 1.5 hours from hut to the 475m mark on the ridge. From there, it is just a matter of lapping the slopes a few times before heading back to the hut.

Transport

Public transport:

From central Mashike Town (accessible by bus from Sapporo and/or Rumoi), a taxi will likely cost around 2,500yen to the end of the snow-cleared section, probably twice that if going all the way to the hut in spring. Otherwise, there is no bus service or similar to the start of the route. Note: The Rumoi-Mashike JR train line was decommissioned in December 2016.

By car:

In spring, it is possible to drive all the way to the hut, and there is ample parking. Before the road is cleared, however, you’ll park your car at the end of the snow clearing, about 4.5km from the hut. There is usually space for about 10 cars.

Physical maps
Official Topo Map: Shokanbetsudake (署寒別岳) – map no. NK-54-13-6-4
Official Topo Map 2: Shokanzawa (暑寒沢) – map no. NK-54-13-6-3

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 Northwest. Therefore, keep an eye on the weather forecast a few days ahead of your trip to monitor wind, snow, and temperature. Unfortunately there are no avalanche information services for recreational backcountry users in this immediate area (but see the JAN reports and Furano Avalanche Center for sporadic observations eslewhere in Hokkaido).

Snow and
route safety

The main risk on this route is the approach and downhill skiing on the slopes either side of the prominent ridge; they are over 30 degrees in angle, so you’ll need to test for snow stability before committing to both the ascent and descent.

  • Notify the police of your backcountry plans online using Compass – instructions here.

Shokanso Hut’s Western Ridge Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

D

25

Time ascending

D

0

Technicality

Altitude

D

0

Hazards

B

12

Navigation

D

0

Totals

37/100

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 Shokanso Hut Western Ridge
Onsen nearby

The closest onsen to Mashike Town is Auberge Mashike (location), which is not a natural onsen, but it is hot and wet – just what you need after three days in the hills. More importantly, it was open when we were there (unlike Attama-ru Onsen 15km down the coast – it is closed from November till March).

Extra Resources
No extra English resources that we know of. If you know of any, please let us know in the comments.

Guide Options

If you’d like to ski this route and/or explore areas north of Sapporo together with a local certified guide, get in touch with either Wataru Nara or Yasuko Kikuchi. They’re both born-and-bred Sapporo-based JMGA-certified guides. They both cut their teeth on peaks including those in northern Hokkaido and have taken part in major international expeditions. In addition, 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

Last year when I visited the Shokanso Hut and Mt. Shokanbetsu for the first time, the weather was so rough that the coastal road had been closed due to waves crashing over the road. This year also, the weather was atrocious, with howling winds and at times near white-out snow squalls.

But if one thing had taught me from last time, it was that once you’re tucked into the valley at the foot of Mt. Shokanbetsu, it can be an oasis of calm. So Haidee and I made the 3 hour drive from Sapporo, hopeful despite some very dark clouds and rough weather on the way.

The plan was to stay with Hiro and his friends for two nights at the hut – the Charlie and John would meet us there at the hut on the second night. Hiro’s friends had managed to arrange a two-night stay because they were affiliated with the mountaineering association that manages the hut. For the general public, stays are limited to one night (EDIT: As of October 2018, non-emergency stays are now prohibited for the general public during the period that the road is closed for winter – source).

Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)

Sure enough, as soon as we arrived at the end of the snow clearing up the valley, we were greeted with plenty of snow but only a slight breeze. Just overnight there was at least 45cm of fresh snow. Enough that we had to clear a parking space for our car.

Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)

We geared up as quickly as possible, as it was already past 2pm, and we were hoping to get to the hut before dark. Despite Hiro and his friends breaking trail to the hut the day before, their skin track was completely buried in snow, leaving us to break trail for the entire 4.5km from the cars to the hut. Some might call this kind of thing meditative I guess.

Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)

We finally arrived at the hut at around 4pm. Hiro and the others staying at the hut had the fire going, and we were welcomed into the warmth with stories of a day of epic powder. We were hopeful to experience some of the same the next day.

Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)

The next day broke to more of the same from the previous day: blustery-looking upper reaches of the valley, but calm conditions lower down near the hut. The previous night I had asked about the prominent-looking ridge sandwiched between two rivers just west of the hut, and others who knew the area well confirmed there’d be good skiing there. Better yet they were all heading out that way today, so Haidee and I joined in with the throng.

Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)

The route up the Western Ridge traverses along the open eastern slopes for a while before starting the steep climb up to the ridge. The ridge itself is quite steep, and requires some tight kick-turns. At around 475m in altitude, there is a small hump on the ridge, and this was where the group decided to drop down the western side of the ridge to the valley floor.

This spot gives some nice steep turns between well-spaced trees, but unlike yesterday, the snow was deep but heavy. It was quite the effort to get any speed up at all.

“It looks like we’re skiing in slow motion,” remarked one unimpressed member of the group.

After the one run down the western slope, the group decided to skin up the other side of the valley to the ridge directly west of the Western Ridge. Haidee wasn’t too keen on the steep slopes and heavy snow, so we opted to return to the hut and do some bird-watching along the more mellow numbered ski touring route south-southeast of the hut (route guide here) instead.

This is the true beauty of this area – there are so many options for beginners up to experts. And best of all, even the ‘expert’ areas below Mt. Shokanbetsu’s peak are relatively sheltered from the brutal winds that buffet the upper reaches of Mt. Shokanbetsu.

Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
We skinned up to around number 25 on the ski touring route. I’m pretty sure we spotted some nuthaches and one great spotted woodpecker. The return to the hut was a gentle meander back long the skin track.

When we got back to the hut, a late lunch that merged into dinner was under way. Hiro had lugged a massive sled’s worth of food with him up to the hut. This included prime Hokkaido venison, shot a few weeks earlier by some friends. This was cooked with onions, garlic and olive oil on some foil on top of the wood stove. It was hopelessly delicious.

Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)

After the late lunch was finished, most of Hiro’s friends left to head back home. Just after they had left, the two Australians – Charlie and John – arrived at the hut. They had only arrived in Asahikawa City by plane the day before, and had spent the morning in Asahikawa replacing most of Charlie’s ski wear which had been lost somewhere enroute by the airline. “Thank goodness for travel insurance,” Charlie said. “I arrived in Hokkaido in shorts and a t-shirt. The Shugakuso Outdoor Store in Asahikawa was my saving grace,” he beamed.

Luckily John just happened to have a spare splitboard in Japan already from a previous trip, so it was only clothes and other bits that Charlie had to replace.

“It was probably an issue with my ABS airbag backpack that caused the luggage to be held in Jakarta,” he surmised. “All the paperwork had been perfect for leaving Australia, but something obviously didn’t get through in transit.”

After Charlie and John settled in to the hut, those of us left in the hut worked on getting through a couple of packs of somen noodles left by the previous group.

Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)

The next morning was a whirlwind of activity as we all tried to out-do each other with our breakfast creations. Charlie and John were cooking pancakes, I had put together an omlette, but Hiro outdid us all with freshly baked bread in the wood stove.

Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)

After breakfast, Haidee, Charlie, John and I headed back up the Western Ridge for another crack at the same downhill slope Haidee and I had done with the larger group the day before. Unfortunately the snow had not improved much, but it was nice to get out before we headed back to Sapporo.

John and Charlie stayed on another night at the hut, as it happened that another group arrived to stay the night as we were heading out. I was quietly jealous of them – a warm hut was a nicer prospect of the 2 hour skin back to the car on that flat access road.

Overall a great two nights away at this small slice of paradise on a blustery long weekend.

Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)
Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)

And blustery it was! Despite the calm conditions around the hut, it was still blowing a gale on the coast. It was howling as we entered the Auberge Mashike onsen (location), and it was howling as we left an hour later. At times on the coastal route in our car back to Sapporo we were reduced to a crawl with our hazard lights on, trying our best to just make out the edge of the road in the white-out conditions.

Shokanso Hut and Western Ridge Ski Touring (Hokkaido, Japan)

Comments | Queries | Reports

Done this route to Shokanso Hut Western Ridge, 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 Shokanso Hut Western Ridge Topomap

TOPO DOWNLOAD (PDF, 20.9MB)

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.

Shokanso Hut’s Western Ridge Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

D

25

Time ascending

D

0

Technicality

Altitude

D

0

Hazards

B

12

Navigation

D

0

Totals

37/100

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.