Watch: Splitboarding Japanese Volcanoes

What do you get when a few backcountry guides, a gear designer, and an artist have an idea? A plan to summit an island volcano outside Hokkaido, Japan. This volcano, also known as Rishiri rises 1,721 meters, or 5,646 feet out of the sea. Geologically similar to the stratovolcanoes of the Pacific Northwest, Rishiri’s variable weather conditions and unique location make it both the perfect spot for gear testing and visually incredible. With both limited weather windows, and the impending lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a short three-day summit window for the crew kicks their plans into overdrive. While the summit itself may have been the very definition of "the white room," their journey proves successful, safe, and pretty epic.