Wet Dreams in the Hida Mountains: Shakushi Northeast Couloir Continuing with the theme of objectives not immediately in view from the window, the Northeast Couloir of Shakushidake entices the ambitious when viewed from popular resorts to the north of the valley. However dreamy this line seems from afar, it requires and early start just to get it. And like most things in Hakuba, the weather windows are few and […] Zach Paley | April 20, 2015 1 Comment
Wet Dreams in the Hida Mountains: Goryu Diamond Couloir Rather than a dreamy peak observed from our window, Goryudake hides a bit farther back with a less straightforward approach. When observed from the correct angle, its diamond shaped rock formations become obvious, revealing a couloir seemingly cut by Zorro himself. It’s a tantalizingly close, deceptively far objective that usually requires a tent and some luck. Goryu literally translates […] Backcountry Zach Paley | April 15, 2015 1 Comment
Wet Dreams in the Hida Mountains: Shakushi Southeast 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. […] Backcountry Lee Lyon | April 9, 2015 0 Comments
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