Sahoro-dake (Mt. Sahoro) and Karikachi Pass

Sahoro-dake is the northernmost peak of the Hidaka Range, and the Sahoro ski area spreads down its Shintoku side. A weather station stood on the summit during the war. Since 1978 a small bunker-style shelter with a wood stove has occupied the spot, so you can sleep on top and take a first-light run down the ski area before the lifts turn. The hut has a donation box, and 500 yen a head is about right.

The winter route follows the summer trail north from the Karikachi Pass rest area at 644 m. The ridge rolls over Mt. Sakura at 950 m on the way, and Hokkaido Wilds logged the round trip at 15.5 km with about 1,165 m of climbing for a summit barely 420 m above the car. Stay toward the brushy western side, because the east edge carries cornices and cracks. When the wind is up, the more sheltered start from the sixth station keeps you in the trees for longer. A taxi from the Sahoro Resort Hotel to the top of the pass ran about ¥3,000 on that trip, with a 20-minute wait.

Karikachi-yama sits on the Minamifurano side of the pass at 985 m and makes a three-hour outing. You climb the north ridge through forest to the 711 m point before it steepens toward the summit. Its south and east faces are open because avalanches keep them that way, so dig a pit before you commit.