Backcountry

The backcountry in Hakuba is endless and is probably the reason why we ended up falling in love with Hakuba. From cruisy, long faces peppered with perfectly spaced glades of birch to big, open alpine bowls. Narrow, steep chutes with over a kilometer of vertical to endless, rolling, natural fun parks with cornice drops, cliffs, natural half-pipes, rollers, and hits galore. Alaskan-style faces with steep spines to long, cruisy valleys with frozen waterfalls. All of it is buried in deep powder and lightly populated by Kamoshika, or Japanese Serow (medium-sized animals that resemble a cross between an antelope, a deer, and a pig – seriously!!).

The best thing about all of this backcountry is that most of it lies directly off the lift or only a short hike away. The snowpack is also conducive to relatively safe backcountry, being deep and having a low temperature gradient throughout. There is depth hoar to worry about, but as it rarely gets extremely cold (below -20°C), it’s nowhere near as much of a worry as in continental ski areas such as the European Alps, Colorado, or Alberta. Wind is also a factor, with windslab generally found on cross-loaded ridges and southeast faces in the alpine. Generally, though, the regime is one of rapid stabilization after a storm. However, you need to know what to look out for because the generally good conditions are punctuated occasionally by very dangerous spells that can catch the uneducated out.

Of course, if you want to head into the backcountry, you must always have at least a beacon, a shovel, and a probe. You must also ride with friends who have these essential items and are experienced, too. We can point you in the right direction, as we have extensive experience riding the backcountry in Hakuba.