Backcountry
This series documents riding spring big lines in the Hida Mountains. The first part reports from the Shiradake Diagonal Couloir.
One cool thing about Hakuba is that many of the biggest, most aesthetic lines are clearly visible from town. Every sunny morning, I wake up and stare at Shakushi’s SE face lit up in alpenglow. I scan the surrounding terrain for signs of instability for the day ahead, and I dream about putting tracks on Shakushi’s spines. I’ve been waiting for the right conditions to get on this face for some years now. In late March, an opportunity finally presented itself.
Shakushi Southeast sees immediate direct morning sun, so an early start is imperative. We began skinning at 3am with the intention of dropping in around 10am. Slogging for hours in the dark can get depressing, but once the sun starts to rise it’s all forgotten.
 As the sun climbed higher in the sky, we neared the top of the Daisekkei.
 One of the biggest challenges on this face is that the ridge is guarded by overhanging cornices. It took awhile, but we were able to find one break in the cornice where we could sneak in.
The entrance was steep and committing. We had perfect corn off the top, but the first few turns were still exciting.
After a few turns, the steep entrance ramp benched out on a fin. From there, the slope angled mellowed out a bit, but you still wouldn’t want to fall.
When we reached the bottom of the face, things were already heating up and falling apart. Time to head home.
It feels really good to have achieved one of my major ski goals in this valley. Now, when I look out the window in the morning, I can reminisce rather than dream about skiing Shakushi’s Southeast face.
