I Snowboarded an Active Volcano in Japan — Here’s What Happened

Arrival in Japan

Before arriving in Japan, I had never considered hiking up a mountain in full winter gear just to race back down it on a thin piece of wood. My idea of a ski trip included semi-early mornings and a few hours of fun on the slopes before the day’s main event, an après party. Five months in powder heaven changes that perspective pretty quickly.

Five months of hitting the same runs, the same jumps, through the same trees will up your desire for cooler and better things at an alarming rate. It wasn’t long before the risk of avalanche seemed a small price to pay for a new adventure.

A Living, Breathing Volcano

And what better adventure than a living, breathing volcano?

Exploring Hokkaido

There are five of us in total, packed into the Toyota Probox with all our gear. Two boarders, myself included, and three skiers. We’d been living together in Niseko’s Grand Hirafu ski resort for about four months at this point. Today was by no means our first adventure.

Hokkaido, like the rest of Japan, has more wonders in a 20-kilometre radius than most countries can claim in their entirety. In a single day off work in Niseko, I could ski over to a mountain-side natural hot spring, hike a volcano, and have some of the best seafood known to man, all while powder endlessly falls from the sky in fluffy clumps.

And then there are the surprises that only Japan seems to offer. Like a dairy farm famous throughout the country, with some of the best soft serve ice cream I’ve ever tasted. Or a sulphur valley with a palatial onsen that feels like walking into a water park of health. But all of that pales in comparison to Asahidake.

Daisetsuzan: Great Snowy Mountains

Standing 2,291 meters above sea level, Asahidake is the highest peak in the Daisetsuzan range and is privileged with some of the best powder conditions in the entire world. All that alone makes it worthy of any snowboarder’s bucket list; the fact that it’s an active volcano is just the cherry on top.

The drive to the base of the volcano is filled with adrenaline and anticipation. It isn’t until we’re standing in the visitor’s center, filling in a waiver and providing detailed descriptions of our outfits and plans for the day, that the reality of what we’re about to do sets in.

The Power of Volcanoes

In Japanese culture, volcanoes are sacred. The dangers they pose and the natural wonders they create deserve respect and caution. They are spiritual destinations that house gods. A statement that rings truer with every minute spent staring at them.

Have you ever noticed the way clouds seem to be pulled towards a volcano’s peak? Drawn against their will at such a steady rate that it’s almost as if the thing is sucking in the sky itself. Inevitably, conditions tend to be on the low side of visibility.

Despite the blue skies that accompanied our drive over, our arrival at the base of the volcano is met with a complete white-out. But we’d made it that far, and volcanoes are volatile beasts; anything could happen.

Read More: Guide to Experiencing Mt. Etna on a Budget, the Biggest Active Volcano in Europe

What You’ll Need

For a skier, there’s really only one way to go backcountry touring. Slap some skins to the bottom of your skis, have the right bindings, and you’re sliding up the mountain one push at a time.

As a snowboarder, a splitboard with skins and swivel bindings is the classic way to go about it. But, if you’re on a budget, clipping your snowboard to your backpack and slapping on some snowshoes is a great alternative.

In terms of clothing, walking up a mountain works up quite the sweat, which can be dangerous when you get to the top of the mountain and that sweat rapidly turns icy. Having outer layers with good vents is important.

The Adventure Begins

It costs 1,500 yen to take the 15-minute ropeway up the first 1,600 meters of the volcano. In that time, the world switches from white to blue like a strobe is going off. Undeterred, we ready our gear, scout a path, and set off to the beat.

Unlike Fuji-san, with its impressive height made that much more overbearing against the stark plains surrounding it, Daisetsuzan is a volcano that seems to have piled mountains on top of it like a pillow fort.

Instead of one perfectly carved out bowl at its peak, slopes and valleys throughout the range give way to a series of tunnels that vent out the ever-building gases within. A perfect playground and, with minimal signage, the Japanese leave any ascent up to individual interpretation.

We trail lazy arcs across the sloping white hills. From vent to vent, over top of snowed-in shacks, we near the peak at a steady rate. Soon, the ridge lining what remains of the volcano’s original bowl, blown out from past eruptions, is all that remains of our journey.

Conditions are Always Worse at the Peak

The higher we climb, the worse the winds become. And, mere minutes from the peak, the weather takes a turn for the worse.

In the distance, we watch as those who had gone ahead of us turn back. We had to make a decision. Had we come all this way just to walk back down? Or were we prepared to wait out the storm?

Blistering winds and shards of snow have my hands shaking through clumsy attempts to unclasp my snowshoes. For a few minutes, the near-gripless soles of my snowboard boots are the only things keeping me in place, and all I can picture is a single wrong move that could send either me or my board helplessly flying down the hill.

It’s freezing. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get the right angle of my boots, and the bindings refuse to slip into place. My heart pounds in my ears impressively loud, considering the piercing whistle of the winds. I need to calm myself down.

By the time I’ve gotten my board on, and my snowshoes and poles clipped to my bag, the weather has somehow gotten worse. There’s no way we can go down in this, and no guessing whether it will get better.

Travel Guide to Japan

Real Lessons in Patience

We hunkered down on the side of that volcano for what felt like an eternity. Every few minutes, I would take my gloves off to peel at the layer of ice that kept forming across my nose. My breath, not nearly hot enough to warm my fingers.

When the air clears just enough for us to tell the difference between billowing steam and low-hanging clouds, we take our chance. One at a time, we carve our way through powder so deep it forms waves on either side of us, flying up into our faces with every switchback.

Powder and Deep Exploration

The flat, white expanse that greets us at the bottom of the bowl is not nearly as exciting. There’s nothing more character-building than having to unbuckle a boot and skate your way to the next downhill section of a run.

Once the next drop-off comes into sight, I strap my boot back into its binding and continue the descent.

In minutes, we cover what took hours to climb, and regroup under the ropeway. We were about to head into completely uncharted territory. Most people would take one of the snaking cat-tracks down the rest of the volcano, but we weren’t there for packed runs.

Methodically, taking turns as leader, we scout our path down the volcano. Avoiding cliffs that drop into rivers and valleys too deep for our boards to climb out of, we glide over parts of the volcano that feel like they’ve never been touched by human hands.

Nothing but the sound of my own breath and the feeling of floating. And then an involuntary yip or laugh as the amazement and joy of what we’re doing overwhelms us.

End of the Journey

I glided back into the parking lot, giddy with adrenaline. Almost ready to suggest we pay to take the ropeway back up and do it all over again.

But the fatigue soon catches up with me, and that onsen we passed on the way in is calling my name.

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Author Bio: Liv Headley is a Canadian writer driven by a passion for uncovering the authentic and extraordinary moments that make travel meaningful. She focuses on local experiences, cultural immersion, and wild adventures to inspire readers and offer insight for their own journeys.

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