HIKE & RIDE vol.1 Nagano / Senjojiki Curl

With the arrival of spring, the snow disappears from the ski resorts, and when the slopes in various parts of Japan close, the INDRES FORMATION crew's remaining snow trip begins.In this story, a slope with a T-bar lift appears for a limited time from late April to late May, and it is also famous as one of Japan's leading mountaineering spots that many backcountry ski and snowboard enthusiasts frequently visit. "Senjojiki Cirque" located in Komagane City, Nagano Prefecture.
This column will be sent with a photograph of photographer Takahiro Nakanishi, along with a text by professional snowboarder Itaru Fujinuma, who aims to recover from a serious injury that was said to be difficult to walk with an indomitable spirit.
Photo: Takahiro Nakanishi
Text: Itaru Fujinuma

Special Thanks: Central Alps Tourism Co., Ltd.

The world is about to spend Golden Week, where and what to do during the holidays?When the world suddenly buzzed, the contact usually came to me. "To-chan! Let's invite Takumi (Takumi Ikegami), Shuhei (Souhei Sugiura), Ante (Ayumi Hamasaki), Uta (Yuta Miyazawa, Komagane local skier) to climb Senjojiki! Let's have you (participate as a filmer, Munenori Takayama) and Piro (participate as a filmer, Kimihiro Kobayashi) join us to take a picture! " Director Atsushi Nakane who becomes.

I would like to write a little about Director Nakane, a freestyle snowboarder who originally pursued snow all year round in the Hakuba area and Kamui Ryugasaki, and in recent years as a filmer, editor, producer, twin brother and director. He is a snowboard-loving younger brother who is good at carrying things smoothly with his light footwork and skillful speech, which also manages INDRES with Mr. Hiroshi Nakane and others.

About 5 minutes by car from the Komagane Interchange in Nagano Prefecture, which I aimed for at the invitation of such an older brother.Despite the early morning, a large number of climbers were waiting for the bus service to start on that day at the Suganodai Bus Center where we gathered.

Judging from the equipment of those who board the bus, most of them are mountaineers, and a smaller percentage are skiers and snowboarders.Among them were some people who would enjoy gliding in the backcountry, albeit a little less.Of course, there were some people who wanted to enjoy sightseeing purely in plain clothes.

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After greeting everyone at Chuo Alps Tourism Co., Ltd. in front of the bus stop, we boarded the bus.In this process, I tend to get motion sickness and usually close my eyes for about 30 minutes ...
When you open your eyes, you will find Komagatake Ropeway Shirabidaira Station at an altitude of 1662 meters.From here, board the ropeway and enjoy a 7 and a half minute walk in the air.The amount of snow remaining in spring varies depending on the amount of snowfall in the top season, but you can see that the scenery that spreads out from here every year begins to change to a snowy scenery, and the feelings of all the people in the ropeway heading to Senjojiki Cirque are uplifting.

When you arrive at Senjojiki Station, it's 2612 meters, and you'll see a world of silver.A few weeks after the snow disappeared from many slopes all over Japan, an incredibly beautiful white world awaits visitors.If you have plenty of time during the trip, you should definitely use the hotel "Hotel Senjojiki", which is the closest to the sky in Japan, and is attached to "Senjojiki Station", which is the highest station in Japan, which is the terminal station of the ropeway. ".

On the mountain, predicting your own action schedule and the time you spend there, and moving with plenty of time is the theory that leads to ensuring safety, but there is a limit to what you can do on a day trip, both in terms of time and physical strength. be.

By staying on the mountain, you can act before the morning ropeway arrives at Senjojiki Station, and even after the first bus. (In the early morning, the temperature is low and the packed snow surface is usually as hard as ice. Naturally, there is a high risk of slipping during hiking. All conditions including equipment, experience, weather and physical condition. It is necessary to give sufficient consideration to safety such as adjustment.)

Ayumi Hamazaki, Itaru Fujinuma, Yuta Miyazawa, Atsushi Nakane, Piro
Ayumi Hamazaki, Itaru Fujinuma, Yuta Miyazawa, Atsushi Nakane, Piro

If you are lucky, you can climb and glide while looking at the beautiful sunrise and the sea of ​​clouds that you can never worship in the lower world.
(I hike up from 4 o'clock in the early morning aiming for Gokurakudaira in order to shoot the gliding scene in the morning sun. However, unfortunately the sky at sunrise time is covered with low clouds. The dream of Asahi riding didn't come true ... Who? What's wrong with your daily routine? Lol)

Of course, there is a restaurant in the hotel that can be used even for day trippers, and you can enjoy Komagane's famous sauce cutlet bowl and various other exquisite dishes.
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I heard from Chef Sasaki, who was indebted to me at the time of shooting, that it is difficult to cook without raising the temperature of the hot water because the boiling point is low because the altitude is high.
However, the many dishes we had at the time of our stay were high quality course meals that made us forget that it was a hotel located at an altitude of XNUMX meters.
I was impressed by the best hospitality created by the skilled cooks who have studied for many years.
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In front of the hotel, a tea bar lift will be installed during the period from late April to late May (the closing time will change depending on the amount of snow remaining), and from beginners on the terrain that looks like a bump slope or a banked slalom course. Skiers and snowboarders of various levels, including experts, enjoyed riding on the remaining snow.
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I was impressed during my stay at Senjojiki every year.The extraordinary scenery that constantly jumps into my eyes shakes my heart.
A sea of ​​clouds that spreads below you so as to cover Komagane City.

Beautiful distant mountains.
We must not forget what happened at Mt. Ontake, which is still quietly active.
Mt. Fuji with an overwhelming presence that appeared far away in the early morning.

The starry sky seen from the hotel was so bright that it made me forget that the night came with the darkness.
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Furthermore, the night view of Komagane City, which brightly illuminated the darkness with the starry sky.

It is a Senjojiki where you can fully enjoy sightseeing in plain clothes with normal sneakers by connecting the bus and ropeway, but if you want to challenge backcountry riding, you need to submit a mountain climbing notification and use it for normal mountain climbing such as crampons, ice ax, action food, water etc. In addition to the items that will become, let's prepare enough equipment such as beacons, scoops, probes, etc. in case of an emergency.

Itaru Fujinuma
Itaru Fujinuma

The best location is waiting for you whenever you visit.Extremely short gliding time in hike-up time and gliding time.Riders concentrate on the precious one and enjoy it with all their might.Is there an excitatory substance or a joyous substance in the brain?Noradrenaline?Dopamine?Serotonin? β endorphin?
When I look back and check my line, I finally notice.To myself who is very short of breath.

Itaru Fujinuma
Itaru Fujinuma

 

Itaru Fujinuma
Itaru Fujinuma

When we talk about the overly thick snow trip we spent, we don't have enough time.
A little less than a year and a half has passed since the big accident that was said to be difficult to walk during the competition at Gala Yuzawa AIRMIX SUPER SESSION 3, which was participated as an invited player in March last year. I would like to report on this opportunity.

Itaru Fujinuma, Atsushi Nakane
Itaru Fujinuma, Atsushi Nakane