ことしは北海道内でもピンポイント的に札幌周辺が大雪の様相。例年だと石狩地方よりも空知、岩見沢方面の方が積雪が多いのが一般的なのですが、ことしは札幌の多雪が極端。写真は、わが家前の中学校側の「雪山」の様子。除雪車が中学校側に堆雪を盛り上げていったので、ごらんのようなアルプス型山系。
　そのような状況のところに昨日から暖気上昇で、案の定、道路は至る所で軟弱路面〜グシャグシャ雪道へ一変してきています。昨日は、連休初日でここのところの多忙からゆったりしていたのですが、ちょっとばかりクルマで買い物に出掛けたら、恐怖の「スタック」道！
　まぁ当方は4WD車なので、注意深くハンドルを扱っていれば大丈夫なのですが、札幌市内の至る所、写真同様の道路脇の連山状況なので、そのすき間からクルマが出てきたり人が出てきたりで、慎重運転。
　とにかく溶け出した雪が車輪の空回りを誘発させる可能性が非常な高率で加速してくる。
　除雪の行き届いた主要道路以外はあんまり走りたくない状況であります。

　この図は2/21午前９時段階でのわが家周辺の「積雪深」の様子。
　例年だと２月末／３月はじめが積雪の深さのピークなんですが、ことしは１ヶ月早くピークが来ているようで、例年の様子から見て、今後は一気呵成に堆雪は急減していく時期。
　どう考えても「グシャグシャ雪道」の緊急警告ランプが点滅しはじめています。
　一方で、歩行者としてもこの「大雪〜グシャグシャ雪道」は危険そのもの。歩道でも固くなった中心部とグシャグシャな端部が極端にアンバランスなのですね。ちょっと雪道を踏み誤ると転倒の危険がある。
　こういう状況の中でも１日１万歩はムリでも6,000歩程度は歩いていますが、普段とは比較できないほどの「慎重歩行」が不可欠。疲れます・・・。
　本州地域、関東以南地域の知人たちからは「梅は咲いたか、サクラはまだか」みたいな報告があります。北国人の地域差忍耐力が試される時期（笑）。ご同慶の至りと思う反面、じっと耐えるわが身・・・。
　
●お知らせ
拙書「作家と住空間」幻冬舎から電子書籍で発刊
お求めはAmazonで。
https://amzn.asia/d/eUiv9yO

English version⬇

【Sudden Change! From Heavy Snow to Slushy Roads】
Will Sapporo be declared a heavy snowfall year? From heavy snow to slushy roads—the terror of getting stuck. In stark contrast to the plum blossoms, the northern land endures silently. …

　This year, heavy snowfall has been concentrated around Sapporo within Hokkaido. Typically, the Sorachi and Iwamizawa areas see more snow than the Ishikari region, but this year Sapporo’s heavy snowfall has been extreme. The photo shows the “snow mountain” on the junior high school side in front of my house. Snowplows piled the snow up on the junior high side, creating this Alpine-like mountain range.
With warm air rising since yesterday in this situation, predictably, roads everywhere have transformed into soft surfaces—turned into slushy, messy snow-covered roads. Yesterday was the first day of the holiday, and I was relaxing after a busy period. But when I ventured out briefly by car for shopping, I encountered the dreaded “stuck” road!
　Well, my car is 4WD, so careful steering should keep me safe. But all over Sapporo, roadsides look like the mountain ranges in the photo, with cars and people emerging from the gaps, demanding cautious driving.
The melting snow is accelerating at an alarming rate, making wheel spin extremely likely.
Honestly, I’d rather not drive anywhere except the main roads where snow removal is thorough.

　This diagram shows the snow depth around my house as of 9:00 AM on February 21st.
Typically, late February/early March marks the peak snow depth, but this year it seems to have peaked a month early. Based on past patterns, this means the snow will rapidly decrease from here on out.
No matter how you look at it, the emergency warning lights for “slushy snow roads” have started flashing.
　On the other hand, as a pedestrian, this “heavy snow → slushy snow” situation is pure danger. Even on sidewalks, the hard-packed center and the slushy edges are extremely unbalanced. One wrong step on the snowy path means a risk of falling.
Even in these conditions, while 10,000 steps a day is impossible, I’m still managing about 6,000 steps. But it requires an extreme level of “cautious walking” unlike anything normal. It’s exhausting…
　Friends in Honshu and regions south of Kanto are reporting things like “Have the plum blossoms bloomed? Are the cherry blossoms coming yet?” It’s a time when northerners’ regional endurance is tested (lol). While I’m genuinely happy for them, here I am, just enduring…
●Notice
My book “Writers and Living Spaces” published as an e-book by Gentosha
Available on Amazon.

Posted on 2月 22nd, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類