Snowshoeing on Hokkaido’s Highest Mountain

By Suzanne Morphet

For winter fun, explore the Playground of the Gods in Japan.

MOUNT ASAHI, DAISETSUZAN NATIONAL PARK

Fine flakes of snow swirl around us as we step off the large cable car that transports adventure seekers close to the peak of Mount Asahi. Almost smack in the centre of Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, Asahi is a mountain of superlatives. Not only is this active volcano the highest mountain on the island, but it’s also the main attraction in the country’s largest national park, Daisetsuzan National Park. And it boasts the longest ski and snowshoe season in Japan (from November until early May).

As we walk into the whiteout that envelops us this March morning, I’m thinking that Mount Asahi might just be Hokkaido’s best kept secret too. While most foreigners head to the resort town of Niseko to find the island’s famously fluffy powder snow, my guide tells me the snow here is drier and even lighter. “Champagne snow,” Kazu Arai calls it. What’s more, Mount Asahi is easy to get to, with express buses running regularly from Asahikawa Airport, one hour away. I didn’t come to ski or board but to snowshoe, an unexpectedly popular sport here in Hokkaido. But perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, Japan is a northern nation and Hokkaido itself shares roughly the same latitude as some U.S. states.

Snow shoes

Clipped into modern lightweight snowshoes, I follow closely behind Kazu as the wind whips fresh snow into our faces and the ground and sky meld into one white blur. Just as I’m starting to wonder about the sanity of this adventure, the wind dies, and I can see steam billowing from two gaping holes in the mountainside in front of us. We’ve reached a spot where fumaroles, or vents, allow scalding hot gases to escape the volcano.

I hang back and watch with a mixture of awe and disbelief as Kazu walks right up to the edge of one vent, picks up a chunk of snow and throws it into what could be the maw of some mythical creature. A fraction of a second later, it explodes like firecrackers on Halloween. This looks like too much fun to miss out on, so after Kazu assures me it’s safe – and allowed – I snowshoe near the vent and toss in a few snowballs of my own, then stand back and listen to them shatter in the intense heat.

FUMAROLES ON MOUNT ASAHI

Carrying on, we snowshoe across a gentle plateau and now the sun comes out, lighting up the tree-covered slopes in the distance. I learn that Daisetsuzan National Park includes other magnificent mountains beside Mount Asahi. They’re so high, averaging roughly 2,000 metres, and their landscapes so beautiful, the indigenous Ainu people call these mountains ‘the playground of the Gods.’ From spring through autumn, it’s a hiker’s paradise of forested trails, alpine flowers and grassy meadows. But winter is for hardier adventurers. And when you’re finished playing, a reward awaits. At the base of the mountain, along with a few hotels, is Asahidake Onsen, one of more than 3,000 hot springs in Japan. After a snowshoe excursion on this mountain, soaking in hot mineral water never felt so good.