Daily Archives: February 12, 2018


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.

Shokanso Hut’s Western Ridge Backcountry Ski Tour Route (Hokkaido, Japan)