Below your eyes is the Sea of Okhotsk in the season of drift ice. Climbers are scaling a huge icefall reaching 40 meters high. In this episode, a man from abroad living in Hokkaido Prefecture tries his hand at ice climbing up the frozen cliff. He uses his hands and feet to climb the completely sheer ice wall. Climbers challenge the icefalls, which are inhospitable to humans, with their strength and energy. Later, we also introduce the scenery of drift ice that fills the Sea of Okhotsk during the harsh winter season.
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A climber scales an enormous wall of solid ice created by nature.
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This is ice climbing.
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In this episode, come and experience
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the thrill of ice climbing in frozen Hokkaido.
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Wild Hokkaido!
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Cape Notoro protrudes into the Sea of Okhotsk
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in eastern Hokkaido.
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It's February.
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The ice floes are dashing against these cliffs
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which are the site for today's activity.
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Mark O Flaherty from Ireland
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is trying his hand at ice climbing.
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He has only been doing it for three years
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after discovering it right here in Hokkaido.
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Today, he's going ice climbing
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with his regular climbing companions.
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The Sea of Okhotsk comes into view.
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Yeah, we can see some.
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The falls they've chosen to climb are right below.
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It's an enormous frozen waterfall
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40 meters tall.
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The surface is bumpy and sloped
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until about 10 meters up
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which makes it relatively easy to climb.
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But around the middle, the ice is almost vertical
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making climbing a lot more treacherous.
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Mark and his friends begin preparing for the climb.
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They secure the rope at the top of the waterfall.
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Rope down!
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They'll use the rope to rappel down the cliff.
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This part of the day is always like a little...
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I'm always a little nervous
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before we rappel down the waterfall.
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Mark has eight years of experience as a rock climber,
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but the temperature and unpredictable conditions of ice climbing
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make it both fun and challenging at the same time.
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Mark has very carefully checked the condition of the ice.
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The ice looks pretty good.
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Last night was quite cold so
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it's good and hard.
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And sometimes if it's a little warm,
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the water can kind of flow and can drip on you while you're climbing.
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But it's properly frozen today so it should be nice.
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The group is ready to begin a 40-meter-high ice climb.
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They are going to work in pairs.
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...if I fall, if I suddenly fall...
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The green rope that connects two people
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has been wrapped around the support point at the top of the falls.
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Kimura Hideki taught Mark how to ice climb.
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As Mark's partner, he'll be responsible for gripping the rope
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to prevent Mark from falling even if he happens to slip.
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Trust is vital.
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He trusts that I'll be vigilant so that I can immediately stop him from falling.
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- Okay?
- Yes. -
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Here I go.
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Mark is holding an ice axe in each hand.
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As he climbs, he drives the axe into the ice
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while he makes footholds by kicking in with his feet.
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Chopping into the ice over and over
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with the ice axes uses up a lot of energy.
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It's important to check each indent very carefully.
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Then there are his feet.
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He digs his crampons into the ice,
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forcing his toes to support his weight.
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Ice climbing is a true test of strength and endurance.
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After five minutes, Mark has reached a difficult point.
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The ice is almost completely sheer,
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and every swing of his arms forces his upper body to bend backwards.
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He's gradually starting to lose strength in his arms.
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It's just two meters to the goal.
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He's been climbing for 15 minutes.
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Tension!
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Hideki pulls the rope taut.
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Mark has reached the goal!
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Great view.
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He can finally catch his breath.
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Stretched out in front of him
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is the superb view of the Sea of Okhotsk.
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Great place to climb ice.
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In the peak of winter, the water surrounding the cape
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becomes covered in ice floes
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that are blown in from the north by northerly winds.
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This spectacular natural landscape can be especially enjoyed
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while ice climbing on Cape Notoro.
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The view from the top is great.
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It's a nice reward for making it to the top.
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Mark relishes his sense of achievement.
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- Thank you.
- Great work. -
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- You made it.
- I'm happy I did. -
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Oh, thank you.
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My arms are on fire.
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I got a good pump going on.
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Mark and his companions set off for the next ice climbing challenge.
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This waterfall is said to be even more difficult
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than the previous one.
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It's also 40 meters tall.
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The left side is covered in icicles
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and can't be scaled.
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The righthand side is almost a vertical wall of ice.
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It's also a little bit difficult.
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The bottom of it is kind of nice.
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There's a lot of kind of broccoli-shaped
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ice that you can easily hook the ice axe into.
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But after that, there's quite a long pitch
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that's vertical.
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Do your best, Mark!
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All right!
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Mark begins the challenge.
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There are countless icicles at his feet.
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He has to deal with those.
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Great job!
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Just tread lightly, don't kick them.
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Mark tries to find footholds as he climbs
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without breaking the icicles off.
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He's trying to conserve energy.
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He's going gently.
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After about five minutes,
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he's scaled about a third of the waterfall.
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He climbs the perpendicular wall
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by pressing up close to it with his body.
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Again, his toes are supporting his body weight.
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His arms are losing strength as he holds the ice axes.
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Mark finds a pocket next to the waterfall to rest a little.
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Take your time!
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Just rest!
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Mark is encouraged by his companions.
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Look around and enjoy the view!
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It's still a great view, though.
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Mark starts up the climb again.
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His arms have reached peak exhaustion.
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I can't grip the axes anymore.
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Mark, how many meters to go?
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- One.
- Just one? Nearly there! -
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He calls on the last of his strength.
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He's been climbing for 20 minutes.
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Okay.
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- Tension!
- Tension! -
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He finally made it to the top!
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It's very difficult.
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My arms are super tired.
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I couldn't close my hands on the axe anymore.
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Yeah, this is a really nice place to climb.
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There's not so many places in the world that you can do that, I think.
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And there's definitely something special to here.
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The severe cold conditions here on the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk
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have created spectacular natural ice falls,
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an irresistible magnet for adventurous climbers.