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Hi guys,

Me and a mate are heading to Hokkaido in Feb and we are wondering if we should bring our avalanche gear??

We both have lived/ridden in canada, usa, france and austria in the past so we have a good idea on what we are doing and arn't stupid.

What are the chances of avalanches inbounds at niseko and furano??

Does it slide often in the trees there?

 

any heads up that you can give us is appreciated as its our first mission to japan and we can't wait.

cheer clap.gif

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The only place likely to avie INBOUNDS in Niseko, and it has done in the past killing somebody, is the Super course. Get the trail map out, it's the course to the left of Ace 2 quad. They closed it off last Feb 'cos of avie danger.

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From an article by NOASC (Niseko Outdoor Adventure Sports Club)

 

Is the backcountry around Niseko very safe?

 

There is always somewhere safe you can go on any given day except in extreme blizzards. Windy days are very dangerous. If you take a guide, you are safe as we know the place to go in different snow and weather conditions. There was an incidence 4 years ago when a girl was killed by an avalanche in Harunotaki (very steep backside bowl to Alpen area). This is a very dangerous part of the mountain and it is our company policy to stay away from this area. The front face of Mt Annupuri that almost everyone rides and hikes out of back to Hanazono is safe up to a point, but if you ski too far left there can be loaded cornices that can slide and the open slopes of 45 degrees are also dangerous in high snowfall periods.

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