- Introduction | December 2024, to the snowy Mount Tsurugi
- From the trailhead to Nishijima Station | Knee-deep snow
- Deciding to retreat | An important decision on Mount Tsurugi in winter
- Any bear signs? | A sense of security on Mount Tsurugi in winter
- National Route 438 | The real scary part was the road
- Winter climbing equipment: Chain spikes are essential
- About the filming | I really wanted to capture the sound of stepping on snow
- Memorable event: Wild deer climbing through the snow
- For those considering climbing Mount Tsurugi in winter
- Conclusion | Withdrawal is not failure
Introduction | December 2024, to the snowy Mount Tsurugi
On December 17, 2024, I headed to Mount Tsurugi in winter.
My goal was to record the sound of stepping on snow and to take footage of my hike.
The weather on the day was clear on the plains. However, as I got closer to the mountain, the sky gradually became cloudy, taking on the appearance of a winter mountain.
In the end, I decided to
turn back at Nishijima Station on the lift I didn't try to push myself to reach the summit, and retreated.
In this article, I will summarize the snow conditions on Mt. Tsurugi as of December 2024 and my impressions of the area.
From the trailhead to Nishijima Station | Knee-deep snow
The climbing route Tsurugi Shrine → Tunnel under the lift → Nishijima Station .
As soon as we started climbing, the first thing we noticed was
the amount of snow Every time we took a step, the snow piled up until our knees were completely buried.
As we gained altitude, the snow got heavier and we began to lose our energy more quickly.
After some hard work, we finally arrived at Nishijima Station. It was already past 1pm.
From around Nishijima Station, you can see the snow-capped Shikoku Mountains. Every mountain was covered in white, creating a truly beautiful scene.
However, the moment I saw the view, a sincere feeling welled up inside me.
"...I can't do this anymore. I'm tired. I'll go home for today."
Deciding to retreat | An important decision on Mount Tsurugi in winter
Looking towards the summit from Nishijima Station, we could see that the amount of snow was increasing.
If we continued on like this, it was clear that we would lose more time and energy and the journey back would be difficult.
In winter mountains, necessary to make the decision to turn back , so we decided to retreat at Nishijima Station that day.
Looking back, I feel that this decision was the right one.
Any bear signs? | A sense of security on Mount Tsurugi in winter
I had checked online beforehand and was aware that bears live around Mount Tsurugi,
but on the day of my visit I saw no signs of bears, such as footprints, droppings, or claw marks .
The fact that the population is said to be small was also a psychological reassurance.
For more information on the relationship between Mount Tsurugi and bears, please see this article.
What made me feel more anxious not the climb itself, but the condition of the road leading to Mount Tsurugi .
National Route 438 | The real scary part was the road
On National Route 438 heading towards Mount Tsurugi, the snow increases rapidly as the altitude increases. Just
had tire chains I bought on Amazon
I actually put on tire chains at an altitude of around 900-1000m .
It was the first time in my life that I put on tire chains by myself.
About 2km from the summit, so much snow that the rear wheels of the front-wheel drive vehicle were skidding , and the snow had piled up so high that it was approaching the body of the car from the tire's contact patch.
I proceeded carefully, following the tire tracks, but if there had been an oncoming vehicle, I think it would have been very difficult to pass.
Pochip
Winter climbing equipment: Chain spikes are essential
I used
chain spikes I bought on Amazon In situations where it's easy to get your feet stuck in the snow, just having chain spikes makes a big difference in the sense of security.
Pochip
About the filming | I really wanted to capture the sound of stepping on snow
During this shoot, we had a major issue with the sound.
What we originally wanted to convey in this footage the sound of stepping on snow .
The quality of snow in Japan is so highly rated that it is called "JAPOW," but this is not limited to Hokkaido and Tohoku.
You can definitely experience this feeling at Mount Tsurugi in Shikoku in December.
However, this time, the vibrations from walking caused the binaural microphone cord to hit the equipment, and the recording level was set too high, which also resulted in a lot of wind noise being picked up.
For this reason, we decided not to release the video on YouTube as normal, but as a limited release
▶︎ Check out the exclusive video here
Memorable event: Wild deer climbing through the snow
Another thing that made an impression on me the wild deer .
I was amazed at how easily it climbed the steep slope, even through the snow.
It glanced back at me for a moment, then silently disappeared into the mountains.
It is very rare to see wild deer in Shikoku, so seeing them in the winter mountains was quite an impressive sight.
For those considering climbing Mount Tsurugi in winter
If I could give one piece of advice to anyone thinking about climbing Mount Tsurugi in winter, it would be
"Always go with someone who has climbed Mount Tsurugi in winter .
Not only the climb itself, but also the roads, snow accumulation, time allocation, and the decision to retreat -
I think there are many situations on Mount Tsurugi in winter where experience matters.
Conclusion | Withdrawal is not failure
The climb up Mount Tsurugi on December 17, 2024 was unable to reach the summit.
However, I feel that the experience was very worthwhile, even including the decision to turn back
I hope this record will be of some help to those who are thinking about climbing Mt. Tsurugi in the winter.
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