蓮華温泉2013年
Renge Onsen, 2013

4月28日から29日
28 to 29 April

概況

4月27日(土)は、天気図から冬型の天候が予想されたので、1日延期して28(日)・29(月・祝)に決行。2日とも晴れて大正解。毎年春の恒例になってしまったぎっくり腰も今年は休みで、5年ぶりに行け、みんな感激。
しかし、特に今年は、栂池から天狗原まで登る人がとても多かったのに、ほとんどの人が白馬乗鞍に登るだけで栂池に下ってしまい、とてももったいないことをしている!! 但し、それらの人たちみんなが蓮華温泉を楽しむ資格を有するかどうかは別問題。ロープウェイという大量輸送機関が栂池湿原まで運行されているからこれだけの人が来ている。しかし、鳥獣や植物等の自然環境に及ぼすインパクトや遭難対策負荷が相当なものであることは間違いない。こういう時期にも運行しないと赤字になってしまうとの経営者の理由で運行されていることが間違いだ。やはり、栂池スキー場最上部から歩いて登る者だけが蓮華温泉を楽しむべきだ。
我々は、ガンガン滑るのではなく、自然の雪の中にいたり、雪の中の温泉に浸かっていることを楽しむので、今年もまた、木地屋には最後に到着。しかし、雪 の切れたところの道路が幅広く、栂池ゴンドラ乗り場から回送してもらった(13,000円)車もそこに止めておいてくれたので、道路を歩くこともなくすむ。雪の切れる位置が絶妙。
Because we had expected a winter weahter for Saturday, 27 April, we postponed our skiing to Sunday, 28th and Monday, 29th.
We were right. On both days, the sky was clear. We all enjoyed the skiing to the Renge Onsen after five years due to my annual back pain problem in spring.
However, we found that a majority of the skiers on the same Ropeway just climbed to Hakura Norikura to go back to Tsuga-ike within the day. How wasting are they their crucial opportunity to enjoy the Renge Onsen! If only they would ski down to the other side, they could have enjoyed much longer skiing and the hot spring in snow! This does not mean that all those coming there by taking the Ropeway are entitled to the trip to Renge Onsen. Because the mass transit system called Tsuga-ike Ropeway serves to the higher altitude, so many people come there. But their impacts on the natural resources including animals, bird, plants etc. as well as the burden on those who are obliged to rescue are enormous. The operator's claim "Unlese we could provide service even during this period, we would be bankrupt." cannot be a justification. Only those who works hard from the top of the Tsuga-ike skiing area should be allowed to enjoy the hot spring of Renge in deep snow.
Because we are not interested in skiing agressively but just want to enjoy being in the snowy forests or bathing in snow, we were the last to arrive at Kijiya as usual. But we did not have to walk from the end of the snow because our car was just there at the end of the snow as the driver of the Hakuba Car Service drove the car in the right place (at JY13,000 from Tsuga-ike).


栂池ゴンドラ・栂池ロープウェイの片道切符の購入には
登山届けが必須。切符売り場に登山届けを出す。
栂池ロープウェイから見えた白馬乗鞍岳。
山頂から上がる雪煙で、雪質と風を知る。

To take the Ropeway one way to Tsuga-ike,
we must report to the police. But the report can be
submitted to the ticket office of the Ropeway.
The smoky snow from the summits indicate the quality
of the snow and the wind.

今年は、栂池ロープウェイを降りると、
安全対策の講話があり、引き続き、白馬岳・雪倉岳間で
2週間前に消息を断った登山者の御家族からの
情報提供依頼があった。
栂池ロープウェイ終点の前で身支度。
This year, as we got out of the Ropeway,
we had a lecture on the safety but also a request
by the familiy members one of whose members had
been missing since two weeks ago in the snowy mountans
betwen Mt. Hakura and Mt. Yukikura.
Then we were preparing ourselves in front of
the Ropeway station building.

栂池ロープウェイ終点から、これから登る斜面を見る。
Now we looked up the slope which we would climb.

栂池ロープウェイ終点から登り始める。
We had now started to climb from the Ropeway station.

中間の斜面を登る。
In the middle of the slope.

天狗原手前から白馬岳方面。
Mt. Hakuba seen immediately before Tenguppara.

低温と強風で寒かった天狗原。
寒さのため、ここでの昼食を断念し、
早々に振り子沢に向かい、
沢の中の風の弱いところで昼食を取ることにする。

Tenguppara. It was very cold because of
the low temperature and wind. Therefore we had to
give up having lunch there. We dicided to go down soon to
Furikozawa to have lunch somewhere with weaker wind.

天狗原から白馬乗鞍に登るスキーヤーの群れ。
蓮華温泉に向かうスキーヤーは極めて少数で、
全くもったいないことをしている。
There were so many skiers to climb from Tenguppara to
Mt. Hakuba Norikuda. However, skiers to go down to
the Renge Onsen were rather rare. How do they waste
their chances to enjoy the skiing to the Onsen and
the bathing in snow!

振り子沢に入り、天狗原を見上げる。
しかし、重い新雪のため、うまくターンができず、苦しむ。
カービングスキーに慣れてしまったことも影響しているだろうが、
還暦の老体に筋力の低下が最大の要因。
We had now entered into Furikozawa, leaving Tenguppara above.
But the deep heavy spring snow was difficuly for me to make turns.
The primary reason was my shrinking musle, although
my exessive use of carving ski had also something to do.

蓮華温泉到着後、露天風呂に登っていく。
Soon after arriving at the Renge Onzen Lodge, we climbed to the open-air hot spring, "Senki no Yu." ("Air of Hermit" Bath)

いつもの仙気の湯でビール。
今年は、なぜか貸し切り状態。
Beer is obligatory as usual.
It was as if we had reserved the bath this year.

仙気の湯から上を見る。
The upper slope from the bath.

翌朝、蓮華温泉ロッジ前。
子供の野球教室のコーチをしている仲間は参加できず、
3人だけだった。
In front of the Renge Onsen Lodge next morning. Another member
who had been expected to join us had to give a priority to
his coaching his son's baseball team that day.

今年は弥兵衛沢のスノーブリッジが既に危険なため、ヤッホー平まで車道を通る。
弥兵衛沢の橋の雪の上は気持のいいものではない。しかし、乗鞍沢、弥兵衛沢の橋への急な下りは更に気持悪い。
また、今年も、弥兵衛沢の先では、日だまりで雪が融けやすいばかりでなく、斜面上方から流れ落ちる水を路面に
流しているため、短いながら、雪がなく、スキーを脱いで歩かなければならない区間があった。
Because the snow bridge over the Yahei-zawa was almost collapsing, we were forced to take the road to Yaho-Daira.
But the snow on the bridge was not at all comfortable. More scaring were the steep slopes
going down to the bridges over Norikura-zawa and Yahei-zawa.
After the Yahei-zawa, we had to walk without skis because there was no snow
due not only to the Sun heat but also to the water from the upper slopes
which was allowed to flow on the road surface washing away the snow without directly going to the river.

角小屋峠から風吹大池方面。風吹大池付近から
間隔の開いた木々の間を抜けて
ウド川源流に向けて降りたシュプールが確認できた。
The mountain with Kazafuki O-ike from Kadokoya Pass.
We saw taces of skiing from the mountain through
the sparced trees.

角小屋峠からフスブリ山方面を臨む。
今回、角小屋峠には、みんな、ツボ足ではなく、シールで登っていた。
Mt. Fusuburi from Kadokoya Pass.
All skiers climbed the Pass with skis this year.

ウド川源流から角小屋峠を振り返る。
Now we see the Kadokoya Pass
fom the riverhead of Udo River.

ウド川源流部からの長い斜滑降を終えて昼食。
蓮華温泉のいつものお弁当。1987年に初めて来た時から、包み紙も中身も変わっていないと思う。
蓮華温泉の一貫した姿勢がここにも現れている。
蓮華温泉の一貫した姿勢で一番重要なのは、スキーヤー、登山者の安全だが。
After the long traverse from the riverhead of Udo River, we had the luch provided by the Rege Onsen Lodge.
It seemed that the package and contents had not changed since I first enjoyed the Renge Hot Spring skiing in 1987.
This perhaps demonstrates the firm commitment of the Renge Onsen Lodge. But their most crucial commitment is
to the safety the skiiers.

比較的若いブナ林の斜面を下る。
We were now skiing down in the beech trees.

白池近くで林道に出るところで、名残を惜しんで休憩。
As we were leaving the natural slopes into the road,
we took our last rest.

木地屋の上のミズバショウは、今年はまだ咲いていなかった。
The shunk cabbage (mizubaho) before Kijia
was not yet blooming this year.