2014-12-27~28 那須（三本槍岳-朝日岳）

2-day winter mountaineering in Nasu.

Day 1:
A 3-hour drive and we got to the Mt-Jeans ski resort. I had recently bought a 105-liter behemoth of a backpack and filled it with all the common equipment. At the starting point I weighted the loads for each one of us, 12 kg for K-san and H-san, 30 kg for me.

We rode the telecabin and started from the top of the ski slopes at 11 AM. After a few meters we realized wakan were needed from the start. While I was setting gears another party had assembled and were about to start, yet at the same time the wind got stronger, nearing 15 or even 20m/s and the guys gave up in a matter of seconds. We nevertheless kept going under blue skies with snow drifting relentlessly.

Wind was not the biggest problem, ploughing through deep snow was more so.
At knee level, even with a 30-kg pack, on flat I didn't have much trouble. As we missed a left turn and kept going in the wrong direction for about a hundred meters the snow got deeper. We decided to cut through the slope to find the North ridge. It offered shelter from the wind but with snow at waist level each step forward was trying and I had to rest between each step. It became worst when I sank even deeper and had to use both arms to get free of the snow. We finally got on the right track, the snow was more shallow but I still sank deeper than knee level. Before long it was 3 PM and we started to look for a suitable spot for the tent (flat and sheltered from the wind).

Overall we barely walked 1.5 km in a little more than 4 hours.

Day 2:　After a warm and peacefull night thanks to the use of 2 sleeping bags and because we were 3 in a 2/3p tent in total absence of wind, we woke up in time to see the sun rise through the trees.

Compared to day 1 the snow was slightly harder and we sank much less. The wind had abated and it was a clear and beautiful day with perfect conditions.
An early rise and we were for a while the only humans on the mountain with a few rabbit tracks to indicate the presence of other beings in this lonely white desert. From the beginning we had a clear view of Chasu and Asahi to the West and as we progressed through the gentle slope and slowly gained elevation we landscape to the East opened above the lower mountains.
The superficial layer was harder but I still went through and sank at knee level at each step, which was much less tiring than hip level on day 1.

After a while the slope got steeper but easily manageable, I only regret I forgot the snow basket on my trekking poles which turned out to be much less efficient when they went all the way to the ground I my hands went as low as my shoes. As a result I used the trekking pole as levers, I dug them in the snow 100cm deep making a right angle with the slope and aimed as high as possible I them pulled with the arm while lifting my opposite foot to get free of the snow. It worked well for a while but around Sanbonyari the left pole snapped and in the end cost me 4000 yen for repair.
Although I was sinking much less than day 1, occasionally I went through more layers of snow or a hidden bush offered much less resistance and I ended up sinking to my waist. Without even noticing it myself H-san alerted me I had lost one of my wakans, we returned on our tracks to look for it and H-san called out to me when she had found it a few minutes later. It turns out I had lost it a few tens of meters from the spot we realized it was missing. A binding had snapped but I managed a makeshift fix.
Soon after the snow was hard and we reached the ridge with stronger winds causing snow to be brushed off the sharp edges of the mountain, as a result there is always much less accumulated snow and rocks often appear. I removed the wakan and walked with the boots only. While H-san and K-san gingerly made their way on the hard crust it occasionally gave way to my weight and I sank through the soft layer below. The crust is dense and when going through it or removing my foot from a hole my shins hit it was as painful as hitting rock or solid ice, multiple cuts on both legs later allowed confirmation.

Before the final ascent to Sanbonyari we spotted several other mountaineers on Sanbonyari and Asahi. It was almost wind-free the whole day and it felt hot (around -10 maybe) so I put my gloves on and off for heat control. At the summit large 海老の尻尾 which roughly translates as "hard rime forming almost horizontally due to extreme winds". On the summit pole there were nearing 1 meter in length. Looking at this under 0 wind is probably not so common in this area reputed for the fiercess of the elements.
H-san and K-san decided to return directly to the tent while I set off for Asahi-dake. I had in mind to return if I didn't reach the summit by 1:00PM as I wanted to be back to the tent by 3:00PM. After Shimizu-daira it was a firm ridge with many rocks so I decided to go without crampons, I made fast progress, ran uphill when it was safe to do so and eventually reached the summit at 12:00PM sharp.
A few pictures and I was on my way back to the tent. A lot of tracks had appeared since the morning and it was considerably easy to walk, yet the crust was softer than in the morning and I went through more often around Shimizu-daira. I was back to the tent at 1:40 PM.

From the tent going back to the ridge was tough through deep snow but after than the numerous tracks made it easy, considerably easier than day 1 to return to the ski lift.

Overall a great trip with tough weather on day 1 and perfect conditions on day 2.

More pictures here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dzrpszzeckwfm9g/AAB4EqZh0-mQrfTCGaYpdRLfa?dl=0