The Japan Alps Difficulty Levels

Climbing Grade ①

Basic skill level and physical strength level:  From the Nagano Prefecture “Nagano Trail Guide by Grade”

Technical level A B C D E
Trail
  • Well-maintained most of the section.
  • Small possibility of falling and sliding down if you trip.
  • Small possibility of getting lost.
  • There are streams, cliffs and snowy valleys in some trails.
  • Steep ups and downs.
  • Some sections of a trail are not clearly indicated.
  • Some possibility of falling and sliding down if you trip in
    some sections.
  • There are some sections with ladders or chains.
    Some trails have snowy valleys and streams to walk across.
  • Carelessness may lead  to falling and sliding
    accidents in some sections.
  • Some sections do not have enough signs.
  • There are some difficult rocky ridges, unstable scree slopes.
    Some sections have ladders or chains and thickets to push your way through.
    Some trails have snowy valleys and streams to walk across.
  • Steep ups and downs  where you need to use your hands.
  • Artificial support including ladders, chains and signs are limited.
    Many dangerous sections with possibility of falling and sliding down.
  • Continuous ups and downs on intense and difficult rocky ridges.
    Dangerous sections with possibility of falling and sliding down continue.
  • There may be series of deep thickets to push your way though.
Technique,ability
  • Trekking equipment necessary
  • Trekking experiences necessary.
  • Map-reading ability desirable.
  • Map-reading ability and physical strength to climb a ladder
    /chain necessary
  • Map-reading ability, balance and technique to steadily go across rocky
    and snowy sections necessary.
  • Route-finding technique necessary.
  • Map-reading ability, balance and technique to steadily go across rocky
    and snowy sections necessary.
  • Route-finding technique and sound judgement necessary.
  • Some trekkers need to use a rope for safe climbing in some sections.

〇The ability to read maps is the ability to find your current position on a map and identify a route to your destination.
〇Route-finding is identifying the safest route when there is no hiking trail or it is difficult to find the trail.
〇Thicket-wading is pushing back and wading through dense thickets of bamboo or shrubs while hiking.

Physical strength level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Day trip possible At least one night is required At least one night is required At least two or three nights is appropriate

＜Notes of Caution＞
Please be careful as some mountains of physical level 4 (at least one night is appropriate) do not have mountain huts or places to pitch a tent along the route, and depending on the hiker, it may not be possible to descend the mountain before sunset.
Some mountains of physical level 3 (day trips possible) require a considerable amount of time to access the trailhead, which can make it difficult to complete the hike in one day. In that case, we recommend planning your hike with the assumption you will spend the night.
Some mountains are volcanoes or in the vicinity of volcanoes. Before climbing, please make sure to check volcano information and follow the given instructions.

Climbing Grade ②

Climbing route constant： Based on the energy constant derived from Professor Masayoshi Yamamoto’s research at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya

Case：Mt. Shirouma-dake　Snowy Gorge Climbing Route Physical strength level: 5　Technical level: C　Difficulty level：★★★

1.8×duration of an activity 11.5(h)＝20.7　＋[（0.3×Distance traveled 15.989(km)＝4.7967）＋
（10.0×Ascent Accumulated Altitude 1.9934(km)=19.934）＋（0.6×Downward Cumulative Altitude　1.3839(km)=0.83034)］
＝Climbing route constant 46.3
Routes with a constant of 30 or higher are said to require spending the night, therefore these routes are generally planned as overnight trips.

Level of difficulty: The Japan Alps Guide Center has set its own difficulty levels based on climbing grade and with consideration given to the climbing route constant.

Standard difficulty Extremely difficult
★ ★★ ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★
First Time to Climb
The Japan alps		 Introductory Route
for The Japan Alps		 The Japan Alps Route
for the Experienced		 The Japan Alps
Expert Route		 Challenging Route
in The Japan Alps

Please remember this should only be used as a reference.
Difficulty levels are assessed in terms of physical strength required and difficulty of the route’s unique terrain characteristics in snow-free and good weather conditions.
In addition to physical strength and difficulty level, actual mountain hiking involves a number of risks that can result from inclement weather, remaining snow, physical condition, or other random factors, so it is necessary to plan accordingly.
For example, a one-star mountain can become a five-star plus mountain if the weather turns bad, which means there is a level of difficulty that cannot be determined by the number of stars.

The Mt. Shirouma-dake Snowy Gorge Climbing Route has been assessed as a 4 on the physical strength scale and a technical level of C according to Nagano Prefecture’s grading scale, but the Japan Alps Guide Center has determined that more physical strength than average is required to climb the snowy gorge, and has therefore assessed the route with a 5 on the physical strength scale and a technical level of C.
The climbing route constant is 46.3 with a 3-star difficulty level.