bc44caesar 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Hi! I'm going to be in Japan from the 26th-31st of January and will be bringing my telemark gear. I definitely plan on skiing Mt. Fuji, but want to spend a couple other days skiing some backcountry if I can find a partner or resorts otherwise. Specifically, I'm looking for the following information: -On climbing/skiing Mt. Fuji, access issues too -Where are good backcountry destinations easily reachable from Tokyo -Where to find backcountry partners -If I can't find partners, what the resorts with the best terrain are. Thanks for the help, can't wait to go!! -Casey Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 I love how we lump people from certain countries into categories. This dude. From the Pacific Northwest. Yah I'm sure he knows what he is talking about. They have a few big hills.. Different dude from Australia or the UK and automatically have to go on the defensive Good luck BC44 There isn't any way you can extend your stay? 5 days and you want to ski Fuji as well as get some other BC. Japan is bigger than you think and Fuji isn't in an area where you can easily gain access to other BC places without getting on a couple trains, buses and taxis If your goal is to ski lots of Volcanoes then I guess Fuji has to be knocked off. If you have no reason other than it's a famous mountain then I'd go elsewhere in Japan to get your backcountry turns. Niigatta or Nagano prefectures will start you off Link to post Share on other sites
bc44caesar 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Author Share Posted December 8, 2006 Optimistic for now...I haven't found much good information on accessing Fuji in winter. If I can start from the 5th station it doesn't seem so bad (weather permitting of course!). If not, well...maybe I'd be better off doing other stuff. Link to post Share on other sites
bc44caesar 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Author Share Posted December 8, 2006 I'd like to extend my stay, but no can do...saved all my vacation to go to Denali next year. I guess I'm not fully committed to doing Fuji, but it is such a pretty mountain that begs to be skied. Maybe I should rephrase - Fuji or b/c. The only thing is I won't be traveling with anyone, so if I'm going b/c then I'll have to find some local folks. Thought this might be a good place...If not, I guess I'll have to pay for my turns. Oh, and thanks for not taking me for a gumby or a noob from the UK/Australia! Thing is, I just moved to Seattle a couple of weeks ago... Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by Toque: I love how we lump people from certain countries into categories. This dude. From the Pacific Northwest. Yah I'm sure he knows what he is talking about. They have a few big hills.. Different dude from Australia or the UK and automatically have to go on the defensive Bloody hell, so that's what I get for making an effort to be nice in response to a query that initially cracked me up. From now on, I am maintaining a constantly rude approach. It keeps Beanie happy. Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Fuji probably won't be a very good ski. Pretty wind blasted and doesn't get that much snow. I have read a couple trip reports of people who climbed and skied it in the winter/spring though so the information is out there. Lots of it on this website. Check the journals and features sections I think people ski Fuji just to say they did it. Not for the good ski. Fuji to me is like being in a dark bar. You see what you think is a hot model of a lady walk by across the room. She smiles at you. You go to talk and find... Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Thats good Spud. I like the rude spud. And where is rude Ocean????? I do it to though Somebody from the States or Canada comes on here talking about the bc and I take them seriously Somebody from Oz or the UK comes on here talking about the bc and it's a different story Not that I am Mr.bc or anything Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by Toque: I think people ski Fuji just to say they did it. Not for the good ski. Fuji to me is like being in a dark bar. You see what you think is a hot model of a lady walk by across the room. She smiles at you. You go to talk and find... ...Fattwins dressed in drag and stick on eyelashes. Link to post Share on other sites
quattro 1 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Well I don't have any personal experiance however I think I can Point you in the right direction. Go over to TTips Pm either JapanTele or cesare. They should be able to sort you out. I know JapanTele has done it. Another person to contact may be Yuchiro Miura. at snow dolphin I believe he has skied there also. Not sure how his english is. Tell cesare i said hi Link to post Share on other sites
slow 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Skiing Fuji-san in January, is it possible? I think people usually go there for skiing in April or May, no? Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 You are so Japanese some times. Link to post Share on other sites
slow 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 am I? Seriously, I'm curious to know, are there any people skiing Fuji-san in January? Link to post Share on other sites
ortwin 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Why bother skiing Mt. Fuji in January? It sure is an interesting experience, but like Toque says: do you really want to waste your short stay in Japan to ski Mt. Fuji? There is plenty of better BC terrain. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 >If I can start from the 5th station it doesn't seem so bad (weather permitting of course!). you will have to get a taxi to the 5th stn...if they can even get up there or that far at that time. Is this guy Early Curlers brother? WTF would you wanna ski Mt. Fuji. Its shite anyways. What a waste of a trip IMO. Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Fuji is more like the Niagara Falls of Japan and less like Fattwins in drag (though I don't personally know FT). If you do Fuji your friends will say 'cool'. If you do Tateyama or Gifu or something, your friends will say 'What the hell is that?' ... but other than that, there's no reason to do Fuji --like everybody has said. Much better trips elsewhere. BUT, it's not like your starving for good bc in Washington State so if you want to do Fuji just to say that you've done it then go for it. I should probably qualify my advice. I AM from CANADA... BUT I spent most of my time in ONTARIO so I might not be able to tell a crampon from a cookie cutter. Link to post Share on other sites
bc44caesar 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Author Share Posted December 8, 2006 OK, so Fuji is a waste of time. It seemed like a good idea when I thought of it... So I have 5-6 days in Japan, what do I do? Any idea how I can find some local folks to hook up with? Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Fuji is not a waste of time. Rag Doll did it a coupla years ago. See his feature here: http://www.snowjapanforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/1/6746.html? Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 He did it in May though, didn't he? I don't think Fuji would be worth the effor mid-winter. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 can you say icy and fuji in one breath or 2? Is the 5th station open all year round? they will kick you off the mountain if they see your ski gear you have to get out of sight fast. A bus might not let you even on. Think about touring Hakuba, Myoko or Kagura areas but at that time the weather is all over the place snow falling like crazy usally and the treed BC is where you might have to stay. Goodluck if you can do it but its not for me ive lived here a long time and fuji doesnt do anything for me. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by thursday: Fuji is not a waste of time. Rag Doll did it a coupla years ago. See his feature here: http://www.snowjapanforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/1/6746.html? to each their own - guess you could say you boarded Fuji but *yawn* not interested. Especially with all that snow dumping at that time. Why bother? I seriously doubt you could do Fuji at that time unless you lucked out with bluebird skies. Post a TR if you do do it. There are no buses at that time. You'll have to take a taxi which, from Kawaguchiko, would be around 3000+ yen. Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by Fattwins: Is the 5th station open all year round? they will kick you off the mountain if they see your ski gear you have to get out of sight fast. A bus might not let you even on. I don't know abou that. You aren't allowed to ski Fuji but it's not like they enforce it so much. People ski Fuji loads of times throughout the snow season I just don't think it's a beautiful mountain Good from afar Far from good And that is my 3 summits opinion. Some people enjoy it enough to climb it hundreds of times You will get the same snow experience in Japan as you would in Washington -Loads of snow -Big steep mountains -Tall volcanoe(s) but Fuji isn't glaciated and get's next to no snow Link to post Share on other sites
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