mt. asahidake

Different from most ski resorts as this one is on an active volcano with fumerols belching steam and sulphurous fumes. Many people use climbing skins or snow shoes to get above the rope way lift when the weather is fine. There is a good amount of off piste terrain though good knowledge is required to get the best out of the area.

This resort is best known for summer activities however the ropeway access open up a fantastic amount of skiable terrain. From the top on a clear day you are rewarded with stunning views of the volcano and surrounding ranges. After fresh snow falls you have limitless open tree skiing across a vast area.There is no patrolling here so you can ski (at your own risk) any where you want.

Get a suitable shoe and prepare some food and hot water.beware of the route higher the edge will be more upslope.ropeway station briefing will be in japanese. there is only 1 little small cafe there.

The plateau at 1,600 meters when getting off the ropeway gondola offers a beautiful view on the Asahidake itself but also the park and some of the other mountain peaks. The Asahidke is easy to climb but that requires good climbing shoes, and a pair of sticks.

Amazing hike..the only reason I didn't give it a 5 is the lack of transport to and from Asahidake Onsen. With only 3 buses from Asahikawa, the first one arrving in Asahidake Onsen at 10.50am and the last leaving at 5.15pm meant that I was restricted to taking the gondola up to Sugatami Pond and starting the ascent from there. Its a 3 hr return hike from there. Would have loved to do the loop from Asahidake Onsen. Anyway, I went on a amazing sunny day, clear skies and all. It is fairly steep going up but the incline was less of an issue than the loose gravel. Advice: bring good shoes, walking poles and/or gloves. My hands were pretty raw from gripping the rocks to balance myself (forgot my poles and gloves). The view from the top is simply breath-taking. I had lunch at the top before slowly making my way down. Got to the Bell tower then did the Sugatami-no-ike mini loop then back down on the gondola with 1hr to spare before the last bus came.Amazing day!Note: The bus from Asahikawa Station is at Stop No. 4. You take a stub when you get on the bus and pay when you get off (1,430 yen one way). I didn't know where to buy the tickets and I was directed to 3 different bus company offices around the station just to find out I didn't need to buy one. I almost missed the bus.

AHA2006 from NYC says it all in his/her review below. The loop after reaching the summit is longer than you think (6 hours) but is worth it. You pass pretty meadows, and have a fabulous natural foot soak opportunity three fourths of the way. The scree/snow coming down from the peak was a little annoying (ahem, one of us just slid down on their bottom!). But once you are past this point, it is fairly regular hiking, albeit almost always rocky. Words of advice: start early, know when the last gondola leaves, take hiking poles, and get a map. We were a little hampered by getting a late-ish start (10 am) and not knowing precisely how many km's remained. Having a map would have helped us match the signs on the way to those on the map. Lastly, we got two bear bells and they tinkled all the way but not really sure we needed it. The hike is fairly well trodden and populated. Maybe just have the bells in your bag for lonesome stretches.

We visited Mount Asahidake, the highest mountain in Hokkaido during mid-August.The temperature was 15 degree celsius.Take a ropeway up and you will be excited to see Mount Asahidake at the ropeway station.Do take the walking trail. It takes about 2hours.The view is AWESOME! The ponds/lakes are so clear and quiet that it reflects the sky and Mount Asahidake.Do wear covered shoes! Not advisable for people with knee problems.For those who are driving to Asahidake ropeway, do take note that there are two car parks less than 10 metres away from each other. One is free, and the other charges 700yen (if I rem correctly). We chose the free parking. :D

Even if you don't go to the summit, you can enjoy little wild flowers and animals (if you are lucky!) in hiking course. It's only 1.5-2 hours.

Some people may go up to Mt. Asahi-dake just for a few hours, we decided to hike up to the summit (2291m) 2 hrs up and take the loop back to the ropeway station to catch the gondola instead of doing the same return route (total 8 hrs including some resting time). It was the best decision made! Scenery was mesmerizing and all the sore leg muscles afterwards were all worth it!We took the first gondola up (6:30am) and the hike at times was a bit cloudy. But it made the atmosphere more mystical and less hot. The hike up was steep with volcanic rocks but with a good hiking boots and adventurous mind it's doable. Everyone seemed happy jolly once they reached the summit. Everyone was trying to load up more energy including cooking hot ramen before their descent! We decided to take the longer route (the loop) and we were rewarded with beautiful sceneries. During the hike, there was also a natural onsen which was a godsend for any hikers' feet as a big relief! Based on experience, these are my must-haves if we would have the chance to do it again:- bring hiking poles and gloves as some descending slopes could be quite slippery(be it rocks or snow)- buy the topographical map at the tourist shop at the ropeway station before venturing up. It's worth the 10,000 yen. At times we needed to figure out which path to take and being able to match the characters to our next destination helped tremendously especially when no other hikers were around to ask. (we tried getting free map from the Information center but they didn't have one for us)When we got to the final stretch (the mirror lake), the sky opened up with a big sunny smile. With Mt. Asaki-dake right there, we couldn't believe how lucky we were!!

Myself and 3 friends thought we would give the hike up to the summit a go but we very soon came to realize that in winter this is not a hike the avarage person should attempt. We got the rope way up to the half way point and made it as far as the emergency shelter. We only had attachable shoe spikes and these we not ideal for walking through the soft snow. Would not recommend attempting this in winter unless you are well prepared.

We were taking the Asahidake ropeway and from there we were doing the hiking through the area. We couldn't go up the mountain because it was not open yet, but the views during the hiking were amazing. We were there in mid june and there was still full of snow, so if you want to do that a good pair of shoes are highly recommendable. The only problem is that the ropeway is quite expensive, 2800 yen return.

Most people just walk around the top ropeway station (1 hour), quite a few climb up and down Asahidake (3-4 hours return from the top ropeway station) and a few hardy souls start a multi-day trek from Asahidake-Onsen. But a really nice underpublicised day hike starts from the top ropeway station, going straight up to the top of Asahidake then carrying on anticlockwise (buy a map or simply remember: turn left at every junction !) takes 6-7 hours, avoids covering the same ground twice - and has great views ! - and gives you the chance to soothe tired feet in a hot spring (really hot - be careful ...) about three-quarters of the way around. The path is good, though there's a bit of a scramble immediately down from the summit.It's colder at the 2290 metre summit than at Asahidake-Onsen so check out the weather forecast before you start. Oh - walking up to the top ropeway station from Asahidake Onsen is fine too but adds another 3-4 hours to the return journey, making for a rather long day. We walked this stretch a day earlier - it's a pleasant walk but less spectacular than the walk up from the top ropeway station.

Climbing a mountain and climbing a volcano is totally different.From the Asahikawa train station, look for bus stop number 4.It is located just outside the station on the left, opposite seibu.Journey is about 90 minutes and cost 1320¥ one way. This bus will take you directly to Asahidake ropeway.There is only 3 buses a day, the last bus leaves the ropeway station at 5:30pmThe ropeway operates at 15 minutes interval. The last departs from the top at 5:30pm.So plan your schedule carefully in advance.I have tried Mount Yahiko in early spring. It was tough by my standard. The sky was drizzling, it was cold and miserable. The path was muddy and some was even covered with snow.  I survived. Did I mention that there is a ropeway to take you down?But Asahidake was a totally different cup of tea! The sky was beautifully blue with white fluffy clouds. The path was dry, strewn with big boulders, small boulders and gravel. The weather in short was fantastic, made just for hiking!So what could possibly go wrong? The journey up is only 3 km however no ropeway to take you down.So....you have to ascent and descent yourself.My body was not prepared. I was wearing running shoes which has seen better days. I was carrying my Nikon DSL, a large tripod, my laptop, 2 bottles of drinks ( the lady did say water is important!) in my backpack.The ascent was steep and slippery. My shoes could not get a good grip. Many a times, I actually had to get down on all fours and crawl, using strewn boulders as my leverage to pull myself up.It was really tough, with the constant danger of slipping and injuring myself.It did not help at all to see old men and women in their sixties trotting past me as they breezed through the trek. What did they have for breakfast, ironman?It was about 200 meters from the start point, When I finally acknowledged my limitations. I sat on gravel, took out my ration and has my lunch there and then. I could still lose my leverage on the boulder which I propped my left foot on, but the manificient view in front of me is too good to go to waste.Life has never been better! Now comes the descent. It was treacherous and unpredictable. It was very difficult and painful for me and my butt. I slipped many times and my backside hurt from bearing the brunt of those falls. Once I was even contemplating to just slide my way down on my butt. By the time I was safely down to normal ground, I was totally beat, My muscles trembling with fatigue. ( I didnt know I had so many unused muscles)But I was very glad I came here,  I am still alive, that I didnt fall over into the volcanic vents that was by the slope.I am glad that I was able to acknowledge my weakness.I will work on that and when I am ready, I will be back. This time is to the top.

Great cross-country skiing and hiking. You can rent skis at the visitor centre.

Awesome 2-3 hour hike at the top of the ropeway, or you can choose to climb to the top of the mountain or down to the town. Amazing scenery & options for every fitness level.