沢登り – River Climbing with the Waseda Expedition Club

Friday, November 12th, 2010 in: News

When I first encountered the Expedition Club at Waseda, I was amazed at their stories of adventure around the world. Their main activity as a club is sawa nobori, best translated as river climbing. A mix between hiking, scrambling, lead and aid climbing, Sawa nobori is what you might call an extreme sport. Considering it’s such a combination of other sports, there’s a lot of knowledge and equipment necessary for a successful expedition, which could last anywhere from one day to several weeks. Because of all of this, it’s a popular sport amongst older, wealthier outdoor adventurers in Japan, which is where the sport originated and has evolved in the past century. There isn’t much information on it available in English, so to remedy that, Sosha has started his own sawa nobori site for videos, information and advice: www.RiverClimb.com I knew my only chance to get a taste of it was to tag along with Sosha and his club. My time at Waseda came and went without being able to try sawa nobori, but my story doesn’t end there.

Since I was going back to Tokyo for the slackline competition, Sosha not only offered me a place to stay, but an even more enticing opportunity. If I came a few days early, I could go on a sawa nobori trip with him and two of his kouhai. “Just bring your climbing harness and some waterproof gear and we’ll take care of the rest.” The trip had already been carefully planned and the itinerary was set as required by the official club rules. Clubs in Japan are notoriously strict; Sosha got in trouble from some club alums when he was president and made an executive decision to clean up the infamously messy club room. Traditions are hardwired into Japanese clubs; you don’t mess with the status quo.

Normally, only members were allowed to go on trips organized by the club, so it wasn’t unreasonable to expect my addition to the roster to be rejected. I’m a first-timer and this was a dangerous undertaking; the previous week a freshman broke a finger slipping on a rock and had to finish the hike with his pinky pointing out at a 45 degree angle from the second joint. If something happens there aren’t many options other than tough it out. Sosha got home from his club meeting and rang me up.

“Book your ticket.” I could tell he was smiling on the other end.

“I’m in?” I was surprised but excited

“You’re in. I’ll see you Wednesday night”

Fukushima is about four hours by car from Tokyo, a remote but beautiful place, with natural onsen dotting the valleys that weave between its many mountains. The guys chose a tributary called Minami Sawa, leading to the peak of Kashiyama. We put in to our “camp site” near an onsen around 11:30pm and bundled up for the night. I was the fourth to a three-man expedition comprised of Sosha, Yosuke Sano (the current president of the club) and Yuji Ohira. We went over how to use the equipment and manage the rope. My climbing experience came in handy for tying in and belaying, but I had to pick up a few new knots just in case, and relearn to use an ascender since it had been a while since I went tree climbing with my dad. Satisfied that I was prepared for the day ahead, we turned in for the night. I slept surprisingly well for being in the passenger seat of a tiny car, and Sano-san’s hot ramen breakfast in the morning helped  warm my blood for a day of climbing mountain waterfalls.

We had to hike in a ways to get to the start of the trail as laid out on the maps. Popular rivers to climb are mapped out similar to climbing routes, giving beta about waterfalls, telling which way to go and where to be cautious. This river had a total of nine waterfalls, averaging about 10 meters tall but going all the way up to 30 meters.

Out of habit I was hesitant to take that first step into the river; I’m used to scrambling to avoid falling into water. But the guys just trudged right into it, so I followed suit. The water rushed into my neoprene shoes and gaiters, and immediately formed a watery cushion around my feet. I realized I had never worn a wetsuit before so this was a new sensation; it was sort of like having socks made out of water. The sawa tabi (river shoes) are way more comfortable when you are in the water, and the layer held against your skin actually keeps your feet warm even if the river itself is very cold. In fact, I was extremely comfortable the whole day, temperature-wise. Unfortunately, my shoes were a size too small, so by about halfway in I was making it a point to keep my feet in the cold water to try to numb my cramped toes. The shoes are also soft-soled, giving you better traction over the rocks but also making you feel so much more of the terrain as you walk over it. I was sure I was forming bruises on my soles, but enjoying it immensely.

Early autumn is a gorgeous time in Japan; the leaves just begin to turn, painting the countryside a brilliant gradient from green to bright red. I thought the river was gorgeous with all the leaves around, but Sosha assured me that this was a “rather dirty river, the riverbeds get way cleaner and more picturesque.” I could only imagine.

We approached the first major waterfall, and sized up the climb. Sosha pointed out the various places I could climb, and said that a rope was optional. Eager to get some climbing in and to test out the head camera, I threw caution to the wind and jumped on right next to the waterfall itself. Climbing a waterfall is an interesting experience; the climb may have a positive slope, but you still get that heart flutter from a highball problem when you realize your holds aren’t great and you’re too high to go anywhere but up. Slippery rock is one of the scariest surfaces I’ve ever climbed on, and twice on that first waterfall my foot cut and I slid down a few feet. When I caught myself and looked back at the guys who were watching my progress, all I could do was laugh; I realized then just how high I was, and the water at the base of the fall wasn’t very deep. The adrenaline fueled the remainder of my climb, and I was pumped for the next one.

To be continued…

While you wait for part 2, here’s the first of two videos I put together. The first section of climbing is that first waterfall I described.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zVcb2SVj0U

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