Hi everyone, we’ve been reading some conflicting information online so would really appreciate some advice about hiking Mt. Shirouma (Sarukura trail) in October please!
We’re relative beginners to hiking, with the only ‘real mountain’ under our belts being Hallasan in Jeju (18.4km, 1,380m elevation gain).
Is the mountain in general friendly to beginners, especially when it comes to the Daisekkei? We don’t have any experience with using crampons, nor any snowy hikes at all (nor chains/ladders/ropes), so we’re particularly concerned about the safety of the hike.
Also, alternatively, is it much safer if we hiked up and down the Tsugaike trail and skipped the Daisekkei completely?
Appreciate the help!
1 comment
It’s not a super advanced climb or anything but you absolutely need crampons for the daisekkai. I haven’t done the Tsugaike trail so can’t comment on that. The mountain hut at the top (Hakuba Sanso) closes in mid-october too, so be wary of that.
Karamatsu-dake nearby is a nice hike too though, and probably a bit more suitable if you just want to do a day-trip and not need crampons.