Okuteine ridge (Kokusai to Teine traverse)
奥手稲山43°05′ N 141°09′ Eadvanced1,023 mGuide recommended
A full-day traverse inside Sapporo city links Kokusai to Teine over the Okuteine plateau and the summit of Teine-yama, then skis down toward the city.
Photo T DMY · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Read the terrain
Birch forest on the approach gives way to a broad, featureless plateau from Tsuge-yama (935 m) to Hoshioki-yama (961 m), mostly at treeline. A narrow ridge with short icy ledges leads to Teine-yama (1,023 m), then a steep traverse under the north-side cliffs reaches the old Teine ropeway station.
Watch for these hazards
- Navigation on the plateau between Tsuge-yama and Hoshioki-yama in low visibility; carry GPS
- Wind-loaded features and isolated instabilities near Tsuge-yama and on the Teine-yama ridge
- Icy, knife-edge sections on the Hoshioki–Teine ridge that need bootpacking
- Sidecountry riders descending fast across the traverse beneath the Teine cliffs
- A long day with early dark and last buses around 16:30–17:00
Pick a route that suits the dayルート
Kokusai to Teine traverse
650 m ascent · advanced
Sapporo Kokusai, Tsuge-yama, Okuteine-yama, Utopia, Hoshioki-yama, Teine-yama and the Neopara descent into Nishino, then a 30-minute walk to Miyanosawa Station. Hokkaido Wilds rates it 7.5/10.
Teine Gate exitテイネゲート
expert
Sapporo Teine lets riders leave the resort only through the Teine Gate beside the summit patrol hut, toward the line of the old ropeway. The terrain beyond is unpatrolled, and rescues are billed in full.
Follow the published lines in 3D立体地図
2 trip reports
What riders report from the hill山行記録
2024-03-31 · Hokkaido Wilds trip report
The party rode the bus to Sapporo Kokusai, passed Helvetia Hütte and found the Okuteine trailhead full of cars. An icy spur up to Tsuge-yama needed ski crampons, the narrow ridge from Hoshioki-yama to Teine-yama needed bootpacking, and the whole day took 11 hours.
Read the source2024-02 · Ski Asia
The writer reached the Teine Gate bowls with a 10-minute hike from the top of the Summit Express, then skied numbered runs that get farther west. One entrance was a drop of about 3 m off a wind-built cornice, and the outer runs need a harder traverse back to the resort.
Read the source
Go with a guideガイド
This traverse never leaves Sapporo city limits. It starts in the Sapporo Kokusai car park, crosses the high plateau behind Jozankei and Teine, tops out on Teine-yama at 1,023 metres and finishes with a run down toward Nishino. Hokkaido Wilds recommends going west to east because you get more downhill that way. The full route covers 25 kilometres with about 650 metres of climbing.
The first ten kilometres to Hoshioki-yama are mellow, apart from a steep pull up Tsuge-yama. The plateau between is broad and featureless, and in cloud you will be steering by GPS. From Hoshioki-yama the ridge narrows to short icy ledges you have to boot up, and the line to Teine finishes with a steep traverse under the cliffs on the mountain's north side. Fast sidecountry riders from the resort use that same traverse.
Two university huts break the day. Hokkaido University's Helvetia Hütte was first built in 1927 and sits about halfway along the approach. It opens to the public on weekends. Okuteine Yama-no-Ie below Okuteine-yama is run by students and has a wood stove. Most parties take ten or eleven hours including the walk out to Miyanosawa subway station. Start on the first bus to Kokusai.
Quick answers about Okuteine ridge (Kokusai to Teine traverse)よくある質問
How long is a tour on Okuteine ridge (Kokusai to Teine traverse)?
A typical tour on Okuteine ridge (Kokusai to Teine traverse) climbs 650 m over 25 km and takes 8–11 hours.
When can you ski tour Okuteine ridge (Kokusai to Teine traverse)?
The touring season on Okuteine ridge (Kokusai to Teine traverse) runs january to April.
Do you need a guide for Okuteine ridge (Kokusai to Teine traverse)?
We recommend a certified guide for Okuteine ridge (Kokusai to Teine traverse) unless your group can read the snowpack and run its own rescue.
Where do you check avalanche danger for Okuteine ridge (Kokusai to Teine traverse)?
Read the day's bulletin from Japan Avalanche Network (https://nadare.jp/) before every tour on Okuteine ridge (Kokusai to Teine traverse).
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