Many climbers with mountain experience visit the Northern Alps, which is lined with 3,000-meter-class mountains, and during the Golden Week holidays starting on the 29th.


Nishihotakadake, which straddles Gifu and Nagano prefectures at an altitude of 2909 meters, is one of the most popular mountains because of the ropeway that runs from the foot of the mountain to the middle of the mountain.



During this time, the ridgeline is covered with snow, and there are many precautions to take when climbing mountains.

I asked the manager of the mountain lodge.

2367 meters above sea level The situation near the mountain hut

Nishiho Sanso is a mountain lodge that many people use when climbing Nishihotakadake.


At an altitude of 2367 meters, more than 2 meters of snow remains around the hut.

The 28th was a sunny day from the morning.


A tent is set up on the snow, and climbers are already visiting.

I could see Mt. Norikura at an altitude of 3026 meters.

Not everyone can enjoy this kind of scenery.


You need to have enough experience and good equipment to come here.

We asked Mr. Toru Awasawa, the manager of



the mountain lodge and a weather forecaster, what he would like such climbers to pay particular attention to during this period .


Beware of variable weather

The first thing to note is that the weather is suddenly changing.



"The weather often changes suddenly during this time.


It is not uncommon for the weather to suddenly return to winter from the merry weather of spring. In


fact, it is likely that the weather will change tomorrow (29th). It will


suddenly worsen from around noon .

High altitude mountains can be snowy.


People who climb the mountains need to be careful. "



In the mountains, strong winds of over 20 meters can blow, and in such cases, the sensible temperature drops by as much as 20 degrees.

If your body gets wet in such a situation, your body will get cold and you will have hypothermia, and in the worst case, you may freeze to death.

Equipment for winter mountains

"If the weather is like winter, it is very important to have equipment that suits the winter weather conditions.


If it gets cold, you need to take measures against the cold and wind."

This is "Crampons" to attach to shoes.

It has metal claws to prevent it from slipping even on hard snow or ice.


We will prepare each and every one of these winter mountain-specific equipment.

Preparing for an emergency

"In case something goes wrong, we also need equipment to prepare for emergencies. This is a simple tent called Zelt. In an emergency, just wearing this Zelt will prevent the wind. It is not uncommon for this to save lives. ".

Collect information in advance



" I

think it is very important to gather information in advance and prepare for climbing the mountain, what kind of weather conditions will be on the mountain you are climbing, and what is the condition of the mountain trail.

Information is also distributed on SNS etc. at the mountain lodge, so I would like you to obtain such information and use it for safe mountain climbing. "

The courage to turn back on the way

If the conditions get worse, you need the courage to turn back on the way.

Gather as much material as you can and calmly decide



whether to continue climbing or turn back .

If you are planning to climb the mountain during this Golden Week holiday, please be prepared and climb the mountain.