Fit for adventure: Outdoors workouts and way of life
2005-12-27
Mike Harris
Adventure, like variety, may be the spice of life. But for Mike Harris it's a way of life. Whether climbing and rappelling waterfalls, barreling down water-carved canyons in little more than a wetsuit (canyoning), whitewater rafting or exploring new caves, the owner and operator of Gunma-based Canyons Ltd. Outdoor Adventure Experiences has been getting his own "adrenaline fixes" while helping others do the same. Harris, 32, from New Zealand, answers a few questions about this unique way of life in Japan.
What does outdoor adventuring entail and how long have you been at it?
Outdoor adventuring covers a wide range of sports. Pretty much anything you can do outdoors that involves a taste of adventure falls into this category. I have mostly been into water-related adventuring, with whitewater rafting and canyoning being my main adrenaline fixes. I have been raft and canyon guiding for around 11 years in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, India, as well as other adventures in the United States. Now, most of my focus is on finding places for first descents. Descending canyons, rivers and caves that no one else has been down.
What kind of training do you do?
During the green season I am out in the canyons or on the river nearly every day, so work is training. During the winter season I am hiking up mountains and riding (skiing) everyday so the fitness level stays up. I do a lot of indoor rock climbing in winter to keep my upper body strength and climbing skills sharp.
What and where are the best adventures you've done?
Whitewater rafting in Nepal and canyoning in Japan. Some of the world's best whitewater in one of the world's most spectacular mountain ranges is in Nepal. There are a variety of river grades and tour durations, ranging from 2 days on mellow grades, to 2- to 14-day expeditions on grade 4-5 rivers. You get to travel through some relatively untouched areas of Nepal and mingle with the local tribes.
There are a couple of world-class canyons in Japan: massive waterfalls and a steady volume of water that has carved out some spectacular canyons. These places provide us with a natural playground for freestyle adventures. Cliff jumping, huge slides, giant rappels. One of the real thrills with adventuring in Japan is that there are a lot of first descents still available. Outdoor adventure is still relatively new here so there are still plenty of rivers, canyons and caves that haven't been explored. At last count, there were over 234 undiscovered caves in Japan.
What are some choice spots for adventuring in Japan?
Canyons Japan
For whitewater rafting it's Tone River in Minakami, Gunma in the spring. From the summer onwards, there's Yoshino River in Shikoku. Good canyoning is at Dear Canyon in Kusatsu, Fox Canyon in Minakami and Crystal Canyon in Niigata. I also know a couple of secret course in Yamanashi and Nara.
Some of the best caving is at Changara Cave in Ueno-mura, Gunma and Ishibunezawa in Chichibu. Kagura in Niigata, Mae-hotaka in Gunma and Hirafu in Niseko, Hokkaido offer some of Japan's best backcountry skiing and snowboarding. And some great free climbing is in Arigasayama, Gunma.
Are there good adventure sites near Tokyo for those bound to the big city?
The closes area to Tokyo is Okutama where they have kayaking, kayak school and mountain biking. As far as foothills, the closer you can get to (Japan's) Alps the better. In the Nagatoro (Saitama) area, about an hour by train, they have rafting and mountain biking, and there's sea kayaking in Shimoda.
Minakami, where I am, is about one and a half hours by train or a two-hour drive. It has the biggest selection of outdoor activity; there are 2,000-meter mountain peaks all around us and two or three lakes that are perfect for canoeing
Are more locals or foreigners drawn to adventuring in Japan?
Canyons Japan
As a guide in Japan, 90 percent of my clients are Japanese. I find that in general, the Japanese are very trusting when it comes to guided tours. If you tell someone to jump they have full confidence in your judgment. Foreigners on the other hand tend to ask a lot more questions and have to be more reassured. There are of course exceptions in both cases.
What are some dos and don'ts for first-time adventurers?
Depending on the activity, it may be a good idea to go with a professional guide for your first experience. Guides know the areas well and can offer a lot of advice about other adventures or how you can get more into your desired adventure.
One thing that's getting big overseas is not just backcountry skiing on fields, but hiking up mountains for 30 minutes to an hour - or for 5 days up to the alpine level - and skiing down. Now the risk that comes with that is a lot of people are going out to the backcountry and getting caught in avalanches. There are a lot of people that are going in there who are unprepared. They don't have beacons, shovels or probes or don't know how to use them.
In Canada, the United States and Australia they have avalanche education courses but they've just started them here in Japan in the past couple of years. I had three friends die in avalanches. So before you get into the mountains get some training.
For information on outdoors adventuring visit Canyons at: http://www.canyons.jp/. More info is available at Outdoor Japan, http://www.outdoorjapan.com, and the Evergreen Outdoor Center, .
