iceclimbingjapan

ice doesnt have to finish when winter does, indeed in many areas the consolidated spring icepack is the safest time to be on it. not only that, late spring climbing forgoes much of the winter gear, reducing pack sizes and the complexities of staying warm.

long routes up greening valleys on solid ice, its possible to climb in a t-shirt. approaches are easy, along roads and trails starting to open again and the twisting alpine routes are a novelty to climb on, with interesting and unusual features.

alpine climbing in a t-shirt: heaving over onto the top of the ice pack in Yunozawa, 1300m of ice pack and rock

many routes lead onto alpine rock and cross bergschrund-like formations, requiring glacier style skills combined with alpine mixed for a refreshingly unique style of climbing. most routes are one day, but can be linked into multi-day trips that cross high ridge lines, staying in huts or bivvying in breath-taking alpine sites.

negotiating the Yunozawa ‘bergschrund’: crossing ice pack onto alpine rock goes thru a sub-world of unusual formations

skill levels range from accessible beginner routes that are ideal for developing foundational alpine and glacier methods, to advanced mixed alpine stuff.

these routes open up not long after winter has dissappeared, the usual season being between early April and late May.

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