ASAMA-YAMA
Updated on Friday, January 11, 2013
where iceclimbingjapan was born
starting with a crazy trip to ascend and snowboard an erupting volcano in 2009, iceclimbingjapan made its debut onto the Japanese climbing scene.
at 2568m high Asama-yama isnt tall, but it is Japan’s highest active volcano – very, very active. plumes of ash regularly eject into the sky, and occasional activity leads to evacuations and local rumbles. meanwhile, being an isolated peak, winds swirl around the volcanic cone dropping temperatures low with near 100% exposure on the steep sides. whilst not the ordeal of Mt Fuji or as remote as Kaikomagatake, Asama-yama is a dynamic trip to an exciting place.
at the top, Asama-yama has a large old caldera, with the smaller active caldera inside. if you look at aerial images you can even see the extinct caldera which modern Asama-yama sits at the center of.
whilst not needing technical climbing skills, Asama-yama is still a strenuous climb in cold, exposed conditions. Full cold weather clothing, crampons and alpine tools are used and the ascent is carefully planned.
