Invite to Climb Naeba in Winter

This is an open invite to join Chris from i, cjw, Tomoe, and myself as we make a middle-of-winter attempt on Mt. Naeba, February 15-17. The locals say it can't be done. The Snow is deep. The slopes are steep. It doesn't get any better. If you are interested, let me know.

The tentative plan is to meet up early on the morning of the 8th near the starting point, (anyone is welcome to stay at our home on the night of the 7th). From there we will start climbing through really deep snow, keeping in mind the warnings of the local hunter about the doom that awaits. If, based on the conditions and terrain, we feel that the warnings are more than just Japanese conservatism, we will call it a day, otherwise, we will continue on as far as we can.

If we make it up and down in two days, the third day will be spent exploring some of the small vilages that line the vally. I think there is a chance, however, that this will be a three day hike. Either way, the last day includes a hot-spring bath.

We have tents, sleeping bags, and mats for a few people. We are looking into getting aluminum kanjiki snow shoes (necessity), and if you would like to borrow some, we would ask for a small rental fee. Likewise, we may ask for a rental fee for avalanche beacons (hell expensive!).

The actual trail is not yet decided. participants must have either some experience in cold-weather climbing (including cold weather gear), or must be strong fair-weather hikers, as plowing a trail through chest-deep snow is not for the faint of muscle.

If you are interested, please let me know ASAP.