Shiribetsu-dake
尻別岳42°46′ N 140°55′ Eadvanced1,107 mGuide recommended
Shiribetsu-dake rises straight out of the Rusutsu car park as a short, steep cone with a reputation for avalanches, and it rewards careful parties with open bowls and Yotei across the valley.
Photo Rob Thomson / Hokkaido Wilds · Publisher's own site · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Read the terrain
Shiribetsu-dake is a steep, isolated cone north of Rusutsu. Its south side opens into a big bowl with tighter gullies to the east, and the west side drops from a false summit at about 990 m into a treeless bowl. The slopes are short and steep, and they produce full-depth slides.
Watch for these hazards
- Huge glide cracks and full-depth avalanches on the south bowl
- A heavily corniced summit ridge
- The lower third of the northwest gully is one long terrain trap
- The west bowl is itself a slide path; a surface avalanche there killed a tour member in January 2010
- Hokkaido Wilds rates these the most hazardous slopes in the greater Niseko area
Pick a route that suits the dayルート
South Face
650 m ascent · advanced
From the Rusutsu car park the route climbs the ridge to the looker's right of the main bowl. The round trip is 4.6 km and takes about four hours. Descend the main south bowl or the two tighter gullies to its east, and watch for glide cracks and the corniced ridge.
West Bowl
500 m ascent · advanced
From a farm-road entrance west of the peak the route climbs 5.5 km to a saddle in about three hours. The bowl is a slide path, and the main summit is about 20 minutes on from the saddle.
Northwest Gully
580 m ascent · advanced
This route leaves Route 257 in Kimobetsu and climbs 6.7 km to the 989 m false peak in about two and a half hours. The lower third of the gully is a terrain trap, so ride it only when the snowpack is stable.
Follow the published lines in 3D立体地図
3 trip reports
What riders report from the hill山行記録
2022-03-08 · Hokkaido Wilds trip report
During a freeze-thaw cycle the south bowl was hardpack, with huge glide cracks and the debris of a full-depth slide on its southwest side. The party climbed the trees and ridge on looker's right and skied the bowl's skier's left.
Read the source2020-01-05 · Hokkaido Wilds trip report
Parking on the road at the trailhead is illegal, so dig yourself a space about 2 m off it, which takes about 15 minutes. A pit in January 2020 found a rain crust about 60 cm down.
Read the source2022-03-07 · Hokkaido Wilds trip report
Locals park on a plowed concrete pad off Route 257 that smells of old pumpkins, but the farm co-op that uses it told the author parking there is not allowed. The first third of the climb runs up the gully floor, which is one long terrain trap.
Read the source
Go with a guideガイド
From the base of Rusutsu you look straight up at the 1,107 m cone of Shiribetsu-dake. Its Ainu name is Pinneshiri. The south face tour starts in the resort's own car park. Climb the ridge to the looker's right of the main bowl, then ride the bowl itself or one of the two narrower gullies to the east, and you are back at the car in about four hours.
Hokkaido Wilds calls Shiribetsu-dake the most avalanche-prone mountain in Hokkaido, and the Hokkaido Shimbun once described it as an avalanche nest. The south bowl grows huge glide cracks and slides to the ground, and the summit ridge carries heavy cornices. A surface slide on the treeless west slope killed a member of a ski tour in January 2010 while avalanche and heavy-snow advisories were in force.
On a stable day the bowls ski well, and Yotei fills the view to the west from the top. The West Bowl climbs 500 m from a farm road in about three hours and suits December to April, and the Northwest Gully comes up from Kimobetsu to the 989 m false peak. Hokkaido Backcountry Club also lands helicopters on the summit. Go with a guide or with a party that reads glide cracks well.
Quick answers about Shiribetsu-dakeよくある質問
How long is a tour on Shiribetsu-dake?
A typical tour on Shiribetsu-dake climbs 500–650 m and takes 2.5–4 hours.
When can you ski tour Shiribetsu-dake?
The touring season on Shiribetsu-dake runs january to March for the south face and northwest gully; the west bowl from December to April.
Do you need a guide for Shiribetsu-dake?
We recommend a certified guide for Shiribetsu-dake unless your group can read the snowpack and run its own rescue.
Where do you check avalanche danger for Shiribetsu-dake?
Read the day's bulletin from Japan Avalanche Network (https://nadare.jp/) before every tour on Shiribetsu-dake.
Within 30 km
Hot springs nearby温泉
Within 40 km
Ski resorts nearby山
Within 80 km
Backcountry zones nearby山スキー
Within 35 km
Places to stay nearby宿
Within 35 km
