Can someone inexperienced go snowshoeing in Hokkaido during winter?

TokyoJoeblow

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So, I planned a 7 day trip to Hokkaido with a friend in a few weeks. We plan to fly to Obihiro to check out Shikaribetsu, the kotan, ice bars, etc for day one. Day two, we plan to go airboarding at Sahoro Ski Resort, then bus down to Furano (the accommodation is pricey at the ski resort). Day three, we plan to go snowmobiling for half a day, then bus to Sounkyo for the Ice Waterfall Festival. Day four, we are not sure what to do because day five and six we will be in Asahikawa. Day five we will go to Asahikawa Zoo mainly to see the Penguin Parade and later we will visit Asahikawa Ramen Village. Day six, we plan to go dogsledding for half the day and then we will bus back to Asahikawa, then fly back to Tokyo at night.

For day four, we have considered going snowshoeing at Daisetsuzan. Here are a couple links I came across:

http://www.outdoorjapan.com/magazine/story_details/131

"Winter: Daisetsu-zan in winter is a formidable place and not for the inexperienced. It can also be paradise for those who love getting deep into and freezing your butts off. Asahi-dake, the highest peak in Hokkaido, is just less than 3,000 meters. Because of the way the weather works in the park, doing Daisetsu-zan in winter is like doing a mountain twice the height. I have been up there in mid-winter when the temperature was below –30C. Daisetsu-zan has some great winter alpine trekking and backcountry skiing, but you must treat her with utmost respect, because she can have a very nasty bite."

This website makes it sound really harsh and dangerous, but maybe only for those planning on being at high altitudes.

http://www.hokkaidonaturetours.com/snowshoeing.html

We were planning in a low altitude hike because we both have never been snowshoeing before. I'm hoping for a scenic route, where we could take photos of some volcanic steam vents such as this:

7020800069_xgaplus.jpg


Hopefully some of these can be seen on the low altitude trails. I'm researching more on that now.

Has anyone been snowshoeing in this area during winter? How was it?

We have heavy winter outfits, jackets, goggles, hats, gloves, etc. We can rent out the snowshoes, but just wondering if it is even worth going it is as dangerous as the first website makes it out to be.

I would appreciate any help or advice.
 
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I grew up in alpine country.

Take that warning seriously, and don’t go snowshoeing out there without an experienced guide.

The second link is offering guided treks, hence less dangerous.
 
I grew up in alpine country.

Take that warning seriously, and don’t go snowshoeing out there without an experienced guide.

The second link is offering guided treks, hence less dangerous.

Oh, we are definitely not planning to go snowshoeing even at a low altitude without a guide. That idea is out.

Even though we will have a guide...I'm curious if the winter weather is still going to be too harsh for beginners. I noticed that the goal for many of the scenic route options is the summit, which makes sense...I just hope it isn't too dangerous even with a guide.

We will of course only snowshoe on a sunny day or a day where the wind isn't too strong, but that might still not completely mitigate the long list of dangers there are in this region during early March.
 
With a guide is fine. They’ll know if conditions are dangerous, and they won’t take you out if they are. They’ll also (if they’re like guides from my home town) travel with a radio and a radio beacon in case of trouble.
 
With a guide is fine. They’ll know if conditions are dangerous, and they won’t take you out if they are. They’ll also (if they’re like guides from my home town) travel with a radio and a radio beacon in case of trouble.

Yes, well kudos on the radio/beacon preparation. These scenic treks look incredible. Well, thanks for the quick response.

We figure that since for the majority of our trip, we are going to be doing high speed winter activities, it will be nice to slow things down with a hike and take some great photos.
 
Enjoy, and be safe!
 
We are still deciding where to go for day 4. The problem is that even though it would be amazing to visit both Asahidake and Tenninkyo...the hike from Sounkyo is about 8-9 hours!

Fitness isn't the issue as we are both in shape, but since the weather is going to be really cold and snowy, we want to refrain from such a long hike.

As amazing as Sounkyo looks, I don' think we are going to need to spend another day and night there, but we also don't want to return to Asahikawa early.

I'm doing more research on snowshoeing treks in various areas. Is anyone familiar with this area that recommends any hidden gems?
 
Fitness isn't the issue as we are both in shape

If you've never used snowshoes before, you might be in for a surprise with how much work is involved.

In powder snow on uneven terrain, you can easily burn a thousand calories an hour. Even on packed flat terrain, 400-500 an hour is pretty normal - about the rate you'd burn jogging at a fairly decent pace.

I'd really recommend that you start with something shorter - 2 to 4 hours.
 
One of the things we have decided to do on day four is take a bus from Sounkyo to Kamikawa, then take another bus from Kamikawa to Monbetsu to ride on the Ice Breaker Garingo II.

Since the bus ride is about two hours one way, we are checking what some other places to visit while we are in that area now. Shiretoko,Akan and Kushiro are most likely going to have harsh weather, so we are checking other options.
 
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