Contrary to common belief snow-shoeing is not just a boring, trudge in the snow when the condition of the mountain is not at it’s best. Fast Fun breathe new life into this activity with their three hour snow shoe course taking place at Half-moon lake in Shikotsu- Toya national park.
Having met my guide Rosanna and the group I was joining the night before, we started out bright eyed and bushy tailed around 9am at Fast Fun office. Bundling into the van we drove to Shikotsu-Toya national park which was a very scenic drive with lots to see on the way.
Starting out at the entrance of the park we slide into our snowshoes, grabbed our poles and were off with our mountain guide. Having had a safety briefing the night before we understood how to operate the equipment and didn’t need past experience on the snow shoes as we soon adapted our walking style.
Rosanna is not only an experienced mountain guide but also a biologist with lots of interesting information regarding all the flora and fauna that the national park offers. We were lucky enough to see a fresh fox kill, which is quite rare according to Rosanna.
The walk was not at all strenuous and you didn’t need to have that much related fitness to enjoy the course. We walked through the beautiful pathways of the national park until we reached the famous half-moon lake.
At the frozen lake we stopped to take in the incredible sights, the peace which abounded around the half-moon shape was haunting and the surrounding mountainside framed the water beautifully. Rosanna had packed some ginger and ginseng tea which hit the spot especially after a clear but chilly hike.
Ceri, the professional photographer who works with Fast Fun had taken pictures all throughout the snowshoe. At the end of the tour we posed in front of the peaceful forest littered with trees that we had been weaving in and out of.
Fast Fun also offer a Full Moon snowshoe tour at Hangestsuko or Half-moon Lake from 16:30pm-19:30pm on the 16th of January. If you are interested in the snowshoe tour or the full moon special please come by Explore-Niseko office or contact us on www.explore-niseko.com.
