When Karamatsu is immersed in a "sea of snow"
The experience of climbing Karamatsu mountain in winter is one of Van Hoai's particularly impressive memories. It is known that he had planned to conquer the mountain in autumn a few years ago, but had not been able to do so due to bad weather. When he learned, he was surprised to learn that the scenery of Karamatsu mountain in winter was always on the list of places worth experiencing. Therefore, he hatched the idea with his friends to fully admire the beauty of Karamatsu immersed in the white snow scene.
The winter scenery of Karamatsu Mountain is always on the list of places worth experiencing.
Karamatsu is one of the mountain peaks with thick, soft, fluffy snow in winter, loved by many enthusiasts of mountain climbing and skiing.
Located in the center of Honshu, Japan's largest island, Nagano is known for its majestic mountains and beautiful natural landscapes. In particular, Nagano is also known as the "roof of Japan" with 25 famous mountains. Located in the north of Nagano province, Hakuba is known as a famous winter tourist destination, most notably the 1998 Winter Olympics. Located in Hakuba, Karamatsu is one of the mountain peaks with thick, soft, fluffy snow in winter, loved by many enthusiasts of mountain climbing and skiing.
Overcoming the cold of -20 degrees Celsius to conquer an altitude of 2,696 m
Having challenged himself at many different heights, this trip was a completely different experience than anything Van Hoai had ever experienced. He shared that although the mountain was of average height, from the very beginning of the climb, he could observe the neighboring peaks, especially Goryu Mountain. “Looking from afar, the majesty made my teammates and I feel like we were looking at high mountains somewhere in Nepal or India. This seems to be a scene that satisfies both the senses and the vision that few mountains in Japan can offer,” the 9x guy confided.
Passionate about exploring and conquering heights, Van Hoai (28 years old, currently living in Japan) has set foot on many mountains in the land of the rising sun.
According to Van Hoai, he and his group of friends departed from Nagoya the night before to arrive at the foot of the mountain early the next morning, a distance of nearly 300 km with 4 hours of continuous travel. From early in the morning, the whole group set off together with an excited spirit filled with inspiration. The starting point was the Hakuba Happo-one ski resort, which hosted the 1998 Olympic Games. After traveling by cable car twice, he and his friends trekked to the top of Karamatsu in nearly 6 hours.
From Van Hoai's perspective, Karamatsu is not a mountain too high to conquer, but the harsh weather is also one of the difficulties that directly affects the trip. The white snow covers all the paths up the mountain, each of his steps sinks because the snow is still quite soft, the depth can be up to 50 cm.
According to him, this wears down his physical condition very quickly, making every step difficult, especially on steep slopes. After reaching an altitude of about 2,400 m, the group encountered a windy mountainside, where the wind blew very strongly, reaching over 20 m/s. The wind blew horizontally on the narrow mountainside with valleys on both sides. Combined with the sinking snow, he and his friends were easily blown down the cliff by the wind, accompanied by a feeling of deep cold.
From early morning, the whole group set off together with an excited spirit filled with inspiration.
After two cable car rides, he and his friends trekked to the top of Karamatsu in nearly 6 hours.
Before the trip, because he had experience trekking, Van Hoai prepared everything quite carefully. He said that the temperature forecast that day was -7 degrees Celsius. Surprisingly, the actual weather had dropped to -20 degrees Celsius, completely different from the initial forecast. Setting up a tent to sleep outdoors, he felt cold at night, and could even lose sleep if the warm clothes he brought were not enough to keep his body warm. At the same time, the drinking water he brought was also prone to freezing, so the group had to regularly boil water to replenish and warm up their bodies.
Along the way, Van Hoai has the opportunity to admire the famous Happo Lake, behind which is the snow-covered Hakuba range and next to it is Mount Goryu. Karamatsu is surrounded by many large and famous mountain ranges of Japan, from here visitors can admire Mount Fuji, Hakuba range, Tateyama range, Hida range, Northern Alps range... The pure white color of the snowy mountains when embellished by the sunset and sunrise creates a charming beauty.
Karamatsu is not a mountain too high to conquer, but the harsh weather is also one of the difficulties that directly affects the trip.
Karamatsu is surrounded by many large and famous mountain ranges of Japan, from here visitors can see Mount Fuji, Hakuba range, Tateyama range, Hida range, Northern Alps range...
Talking to Travellive, Van Hoai shared: “The most memorable memory of the trip was probably watching the sunset when the sun set behind the Tsurugi mountain peak with the whole sky shining golden on the snow. I felt excited when I successfully conquered the mountain peak and this achievement was completely worth it.”
Pocket tips to conquer snow-covered Karamatsu mountain
Van Hoai shared that Karamatsu has its own beauty in each season, but perhaps conquering the 2,696 m high mountain in winter is one of the most interesting experiences. The weather is cold and the white snow covers all the scenery, so few people dare to choose to climb the mountain in winter. Therefore, the right time to climb Karamatsu is early winter around December when the snow is not too thick or March and April when the snow has stabilized and has a solid surface.
The weather is bitterly cold and white snow covers everything, so few people dare to choose to climb mountains in winter.
The best time to climb Karamatsu is early winter around December when the snow is not too deep or March and April when the snow has settled and has a firm surface.
There are quite a few differences between snow climbing and mountain climbing, especially in terms of temperature differences and the risks involved.
Snow climbing and mountain climbing often have quite a big difference, especially in terms of temperature difference and possible risks. As someone who has had a lot of experience conquering high altitudes before, Van Hoai does not hesitate to share his secret: “When climbing Karamatsu, especially in the snowy season, in addition to regularly monitoring the weather, you also need to prepare warm clothes carefully as well as snow climbing support equipment: specialized shoes, crampons, axes, tents...
In addition, many resorts are closed in winter, so food and drinks are essential necessities to bring. Above all, you should also buy climbing insurance to prevent bad situations from happening.
