2021.2.13 Mt. Tanigawa - The mountain with two ears
table of contents
basic information
●Altitude
Tomano-mimi: 1,963 m
Okinomimi: 1977 m
●Period
February 2021
Route
Doaiguchi Station → Tenjindaira Station → Kata no koya → Tomano mimi → Okino mimi → Kata no koya → Tenjindaira Station → Doaiguchi Station
Climbing record
▼We arrived around 8:00 and the parking lot was empty.
I forgot to take a picture.
There was a long line at the ticket booth!
It was a good idea to arrive early.
The parking lot was empty, but there were so many people there. Does that mean everyone came by public transportation?
It would be nice if the ropeway also accepted Suica or similar cards so you wouldn't have to wait in line.
I think it's probably only the morning hikers, skiers and snowboarders who come, and it doesn't get very crowded after that.
If it is always crowded, there will be a need to improve efficiency, but if it is only crowded in the morning, the cost of introducing it would not be worth it.
Since the parent companies are all different, it may be difficult to deal with them individually.
▼There was a bit of a queue at the ropeway station, but perhaps because it was packed with people buying tickets, we were able to board the ropeway smoothly.
As expected, in the winter mountains, climbers are well equipped.
▼We finally arrived at the ropeway.
The wait was pretty cold.
▼The weather is great!
The sun is just too bright.
▼Let’s start preparing right away!
Mountains with ski resorts are great because they have great facilities!
▼Let's go!
▼We have just started climbing, but the view is already quite beautiful.
That's the great thing about starting off on a ropeway.
▼Climbers start climbing up from the ropeway one after another.
▼It's all uphill.
The footprints from previous walks are hard-packed, so it feels better to walk on fresh snow.
▼We've just started climbing, but we can see beautiful mountains.
▼A string of hikers continues to climb.
It's a view I've rarely seen.
▼After climbing for a while the road widens.
Around here there are roads with no people walking on them, so it's much easier to walk.
We practice our kick steps while climbing up the fluffy snow.
▼After climbing for a while the road widens.
Around here there are roads with no people walking on them, so it's much easier to walk.
We practice our kick steps while climbing up the fluffy snow.
▼It's the final sprint!
Shoulder Hut
Once you get this far, you're almost there.
We had lunch here.
▼The area around Kata no Hut is quite spacious.
▼We're heading for Tomano-mimi.
Mt. Tanigawa has two peaks called "ears."
When viewed from a distance, they do indeed look like ears and are very cute.
(Sorry, I forgot to take a picture.)
The person who named this ``ear'' really showed their sense.
▼The summit of Tomano-mimi
It feels like it's reached its peak here, so I think it's okay to stop there.
However, the altitude is higher at the back, so it cannot be overlooked by mountain climbers.
The summit is probably the highest point on the mountain.
On the official website it is written as "Tomanomimi", but at the summit it is written as "Toma no Mimi".
I'm curious why the notation is different.
▼With one last push, we'll aim for Okinomimi!
▼We've finally reached the true peak!
▼The view from the top of the mountain was amazing!
The wind wasn't too strong so we took it easy and then headed home.
▼As the position of the sun changes, the atmosphere of the photo also changes.
▼We descend the mountain while enjoying the spectacular views.
The feeling of the mountains lined up is amazing.
▼It has an evening-like atmosphere.
▼On the way back, the ticket booth was empty.
Summary
All the mountains I had been to in the winter up until then had been quiet and sparsely populated, so I was surprised by how many people were there on Mt. Tanigawa.
It's so popular and crowded that I didn't really like the feeling of having to queue up.
However, it's easy to see why it's so popular, given its easy access from the Kanto region and magnificent scenery.
Since you can gain altitude by ropeway and there isn't much actual climbing involved, it's also a good introduction to snowy mountains.
I think that's why it is a well-known famous mountain.
Some people were even mountain skiing and it looked like a lot of fun!
I'd like to try it someday.
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