Kita Yatsugatake snow shoe walk

3-day snow shoe "hike" (the term "plough" may also be appropriate) at Kita-Yatsugatake.

We will travel by train and bus to the mountain, travel up by ropeway, then hike to the hut. The next day, we will climb Mt Tengu, which, if the weather is good, will give us excellent views of the area. On the final day we will hike back to the ropeway and return to Tsukuba by bus and train. Departure on the first day will be by the first TX train.

If you want to participate, you will need the following equipment:

• Well insulated, warm clothing, including good socks and gloves.
• Fully-water-proof outer layer. This means everything except your hat. You must have water proof gloves and water proof boots. Sneakers and hiking shoes are not acceptable, you need high-ankled, water proof, well-insulated hiking boots (the hard winter mountain climbing boots, which are often made of plastic, are not necessary but are certainly the ideal). You also must have gaiters. It is also recommended that your jacket be wind proof.
• Warm clothes for night as well.
• Sun glasses or ski goggles.
• Sun-cream.
• A water proof hiking pack. Ideally, it will have a rain cover.
• Lunches for three days and plenty of high-energy snacks. Miso soup in a thermos is a very good idea.
  If you turn up without all of those items, you will not be allowed to join the hike.

You do not need to bring your own snow shoes or poles for this hike, unless you already have some. We will hire snow shoes and poles at the bottom of the ropeway for a relatively small cost.
The estimated cost is likely to be about 40000 yen, including hut cost, train tickets, bus tickets, ropeway tickets and snow shoe rental.

Hiking in the snow is a lot more demanding than hiking in the summer, with severe conditions including very cold temperatures (e.g. a high temperature of -20C to -10C), wind, getting wet, and generally requiring more effort to hike even a short distance. Please only consider joining if you are able to look after yourself to some degree.

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