Monthly Archives: April 2018

TRIP REPORT With some settled weather forecast for this Sunday, Haidee and I made a dash for Mt. Shakotan (積丹岳, 1,255m). We were only two weeks into a busy start to the academic year, but we needed some time out to get some exercise and refresh the mind. Mt. Shakotan had been hit with 100km/h winds the day before, so the lower areas were strewn with twigs and branches, but beyond the treeline we got some good views and skiing.

Mt. Shakotan Spring Ski Touring 2018 (Hokkaido, Japan)

Mt. Ichankoppe (イチャンコッペ山, 828m), with its north-to-south ridge-line approach, has some of the best and most sustained views of Lake Shikotsu and surrounds of any hill on the lake's volcanic caldera rim. Ichankoppe means "salmon spawning ground river" in Ainu, and Mt. Ichankoppe takes its name from the Ichankoppe River nearby. In clear, still weather, the long ridge can be an incredible place for an overnight camp, with glorious views across the lake. It's hard to believe it's only 30km from Sapporo City.

Mt. Ichankoppe spring ski touring and camping (Hokkaido, Japan)