GWは10日までと勘違いしており、当然、栂池高原スキー場もそこまで営業だろう……と出かけたら、昨日6日で終了とのこと。その場に立ちすくむ勘違い野郎が僕だけではなかった、のがせめてもの救い。。

さて、というわけで一旦帰宅。装備を整え直し、白馬大雪渓方面へ。車を置く場所までうちから15分。そこから電動アシスト自転車に乗り換え、20分ほどで猿倉に到着。静かーな気配。やはりGWは終わっていたのでありました。

いつものようにスキーをザックにぶら下げ長靴で登山道を進みます。ここは4/24以来。長走沢はまだスノーブリッジが健在。御殿場の先の沢では、一段下で容易に渡れて無問題。そしてそこから先が踏み抜き注意ゾーンに変貌。とくに下山時は勢いがあるから危ないですね。

馬尻からは追上沢方面へ。いやはや、そのフラットぶりには驚きました。新雪の白いゾーンも斑に健在。今日は気温も高く、全体的にズブズブなコンディション。それでもフラットだからと結構急なところまで進行してしまうのは悪い癖。

足元はNNNBC。しかも今回の板は柔らかめ。んーー、ザックも合わせたら僕の自重は90kg越えなんだよな。このセットでこのコンディションかぁ……と思いながらもいつものように滑り出しては四苦八苦。トライせずに斜滑降＆キックターン、または2ステップターンで降りれば良いのにねぇ……とは、自分でも分かっておるわけです。

ギリギリ、辛うじてな感じでセーフなダウンヒルでありました。

尾根を越えて次の斜面に展開。ハンモックを設置してしばしのんびりと。行動中、脚を挙げて横になれる時間があるのって、知っちゃうともうやめられないのよね。今の時期は虫も居ないし。

そんなこんなで何本か滑って下山。結局、道中誰にも会わず。大雪渓、静かになったもんです。

さて、スキーツアーを承っております。希望の方、いらっしゃいましたらお知らせくださいまし。

追記：ちゃんとダウンヒルを楽しむのであれば、やはりプラブーツなんだと思いました。

GW runs until the 10th ー or so I mistakenly thought ー and naturally I assumed Tsugaike Kogen Ski Resort would be operating until then as well… only to find out it had closed yesterday, on the 6th. At least I wasn’t the only idiot standing there in disbelief. Small consolation, perhaps.

So, back home I went. Repacked the gear and headed toward Hakuba Daisekkei instead. It takes about 15 minutes from my house to the parking spot, then another 20 minutes on an electric-assist bicycle to reach Sarukura. The place felt quiet. Golden Week really was over.

As usual, I strapped the skis to my pack and continued up the trail in rubber boots. First time here since 4/24. The snow bridge at Nagashiri-zawa was still holding. At the stream beyond Gotenba, it was easy enough to cross one level lower without any trouble. Beyond that, though, the route had transformed into a full-on “watch your step or punch through” zone. Especially dangerous on the descent, when momentum is working against you.

From Bajiri I headed toward Oiage-zawa. Honestly, I was surprised by how flat everything had become. Patches of fresh white snow still remained here and there. Temperatures were high today, and overall conditions were deep, wet, and mushy. Still, because it all looked so mellow, I ended up pushing farther into steeper terrain than I probably should have. Bad habit.

Underfoot was NNNBC, and this particular ski setup is on the softer side. Add the pack and my total weight is well over 90 kg. “Hmm… this setup, in these conditions…” I thought to myself ー yet, as always, I dropped in anyway and proceeded to struggle magnificently. I know perfectly well I could simply descend safely with traverses and kick turns, or maybe careful two-step turns, without trying to force anything.

In the end, it was a downhill run that was technically safe… but only just barely.

After crossing the ridge, I moved onto the next slope and set up the hammock for a while. Once you discover the luxury of lying down with your legs elevated during a tour, there’s really no going back. And this time of year, there are no bugs yet either.

So that was the day. A few more laps, then back down. In the end, I didn’t encounter a single person the entire time. Hakuba Daisekkei has become a very quiet place.

Anyway ー I’m offering ski tours, so if anyone is interested, feel free to get in touch.

Postscript: if the goal is to genuinely enjoy the downhill, then plastic boots are probably the right answer after all.