NAGANO ADVENTURES
Guided & Self-Guided Hiking, Trail Running & Fastpacking Tours in Japan
Specializing in the Shionomichi (Salt Road) & Japanese Alps
DIFFICULTY LEVELS
Choosing an Appropriate Adventure
HIKING, TRAIL RUNNING & FASTPACKING LEVELS
Hiking
We want you to have the best possible walk in Japan with us, and matching your experience level and current physical conditioning to an appropriate adventure is paramount. It is incredibly hard to accurately convey the difficulty and challenges of each unique hiking route within the context of its particular environment, trail conditions, technical aspects, distance, duration and elevation gain. However, drawing largely on our own experiences, and in consultation with other hiking organizations and professionals in the industry, we've created a scale that we feel does a good job of boiling all the variables down into a relatively simple, accurate, and easily understandable ranking.
Our two-part system assigns a 6-level number scale to describe the required level of fitness, and combines it with a 3-letter scale that grades the technical difficulty of the trail. Be honest when evaluating yourself, and if you are unsure whether you could realistically handle the demands of a particular route, just ask!
Fitness Level
1
EASY
Suitable For:
Individuals of all ages from young children to senior citizens; anyone in fair physical condition who is able to walk normally.
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Time on Feet:
Usually between 1~3 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically between 3~8 kilometers with elevation gains of up to 250 meters.
4
CHALLENGING
Suitable For:
Young adults and adults in very good physical condition with moderate hiking experience over a large variety of terrain types.
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Time on Feet:
Usually between 4~6 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically between 12~17 kilometers with elevation gains of up to 1,000 meters.
2
MODERATE
Suitable For:
Individuals of most ages in generally good physical condition who have some basic hiking experience.
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Time on Feet:
Usually between 2~4 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically between 6~11 kilometers with elevation gains of up to 450 meters.
5
STRENUOUS
Suitable For:
Young adults and adults in excellent physical condition with extensive hiking experience over a large variety of terrain types, including some scrambling.
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Time on Feet:
Usually between 5~8 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically between 15~21 kilometers with elevation gains of up to 1,500 meters.
3
HARD
Suitable For:
Individuals of most ages in good physical condition who have hiking experience over a variety of terrain types.
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Time on Feet:
Usually between 3~5 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically between 9~14 kilometers with elevation gains of up to 700 meters.
6
EXTREME
Suitable For:
Adults over 18 years of age in their physical prime with years of hiking experience over all terrain types, including some scrambling.
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Time on Feet:
Usually between 5~8 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically between 15~21 kilometers with elevation gains of up to 1,500 meters.
Technical Level
A
"WALKING"
LOW RISK / CONSEQUENCE
Terrain:
Maintained paths that are largely wide, hard, smooth, and stable, with mostly gentle to moderate climbs and descents.
​​​​​Navigation:
Mostly well-marked and easy to follow.
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Hazards:
Occasional small rocks, roots, or other minor obstacles, with no signficant exposure​​.
B
"HIKING"
MODERATE RISK / CONSEQUENCE
Terrain:
Sections may include soft or unstable surfaces, wooden boardwalks, etc... and can be narrow or poorly maintained. Moderate to steep ups and downs that might feature occasional fixed implements (ropes, chains, etc...) for assistance.
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Navigation:
Some areas may be overgrown or poorly marked, requiring care to stay on track.
​Hazards:
A variety of larger rocks, roots, simple shallow water crossings, stairs, and other obstacles. Moderate exposure.
C
"MOUNTAIN CLIMBING"
HIGH RISK / CONSEQUENCE
Terrain:
Variable surfaces and paths that are often narrow, uneven, unstable, poorly maintained, or unmaintained. Frequent steep terrain often involving scrambling, ropes, chains, and even ladders.​
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Navigation:
May include poorly marked or unmarked paths, requiring maps, gps, and/or basic navigational skills
​​​Hazards:
Persistent rocks, roots, boulders, and other objects underfoot. May involve multiple, more complex water crossings. High exposure.
Trail Running & Fastpacking
To assess the difficulty of the trail running and fastpacking adventures we offer, we utilize a rating method based on the 7-level system used by the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) to categorize the effort expenditure necessary for their races. This method assigns a "kilometer-effort" point metric, that considers the elevation gained over the distance covered. The metric is calculated as:
KM-EFFORT SCORE = (Total Distance in KM) + (Total Elevation Gain in M / 100)
The resulting scores are then expressed as a level from XXS to XXL convey the "size" of the effort required. ITRA uses this system to rank races all the way up to multi-day affairs with mind-boggling vertical, so we've chosen to scale their system down by 40% to make it more appropriate to the kinds of tours we offer, and have omitted the final XXL rank because of it's extreme difficulty.
We feel that is also helpful to express the technical difficulty of the trail to paint a more complete picture, so in addition to the ITRA effort metric, we utilize an additional 3-number (1 to 3) addendum to rate the trail technicality. Please see the detailed explanation of each below.
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It's important to note that trail running and fastpacking tours require a higher fitness level compared to hiking tours, so please carefully review the difficulty rating and be honest when evaluating yourself!
Effort Level
XXS
EASY
KM-Effort Score: 0~14
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Suitable For:
Young adults and adults in fair physical condition who run or jog at least once a week.
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Moving Time:
Up to 1~3 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically does not exceed 10km, with elevation gains of up to 500m.
M
HARD
KM-Effort Score: 46~69
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Suitable For:
Adults in excellent physical condition who run or jog at least four times a week and have been trail running regularly for at least the last 3 months.
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Moving Time:
Up to 6~10 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically does not exceed 40km, with elevation gains of up to 3,000m.
XS
MEASURED
KM-Effort Score: 15~27
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Suitable For:
Young adults and adults in good physical condition who run or jog at least twice a week and have some experience trail running.
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Moving Time:
Up to 2~5 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically does not exceed 15km, with elevation gains of up to 1,000m.
L
CHALLENGING
KM-Effort Score: 70~93
Suitable For:
Adults in excellent physical condition who run or jog at least four times a week and have been trail running regularly for at least the last 6 months.
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Moving Time:
Up to 9~13 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically does not exceed 55km, with elevation gains of up to 4,000 meters.
S
MODERATE
KM-Effort Score: 28~45
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Suitable For:
Adults in very good physical condition who run or jog at least three times a week and trail run somewhat regularly.
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Moving Time:
Up to 4~7 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically between 25km, with elevation gains of up to 2,000m.​​
XL
STRENUOUS
KM-Effort Score: 94~126
Suitable For:
Athletes in peak physical condition who run or jog at least five times a week and have been trail running regularly for at least the last 9 months.
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Moving Time:
Up to 12~17 hours per day
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Distance・Elevation:
Typically does not exceed 75km, with elevation gains of up to 5,000m.
Technical Level
(Work in progress. More info coming soon...)