The guide to survival from the only Mt Fuji winter Climbing Experts
We know what we are doing on Mt Fuji in winter, but every winter we see many others who don’t. Every winter there are accidents – and deaths – and every winter we liaise with local authorities to try and make things safer.
Recent years have seen an exponential surge in people wanting to climb Mt Fuji in winter, under the impression it is much less of an ordeal than it actually is. Most just waste their time and money on something they are not prepared for, a few find out the hard way that Mt Fuji has teeth.
The 7 Essential Survival Skills for a winter Mt Fuji ascent
Mt Fuji between late November and early April is real mountaineering, every bit as serious as 4000m winter ascents in Europe or America. The usual images of Mt Fuji from summer, of lots of people and lodges along the trail, do not relate to winter, where it is instead a place where Himalayan climbers come to train.
The skills shown in this Mt Fuji winter climbing guide are what we do every time we attempt Mt Fuji, and though none guarantee a successful summit they greatly increase your chance of coming home.
1. Know the risks
What: Mt Fuji in winter has the exact same risks all big cold ascents share; extreme conditions, avalanches, rock fall, exposure and fall potential. These risks are real, and have injured and killed climbers there before, and assessing them is a basic of mountaineering.
How: check reports, study images, get qualifications and practice. If you can’t do these yourself either get someone who can or appreciate Mt Fuji through binoculars.
2. Have the gear
What: In winter Mt Fuji is covered in ice, snow and exposed rock, so needs crampons, an ice axe, helmet and the knowledge to use them. Even entry level instruction requires several days of dedicated training, and you may think you know the ice axe arrest but you probably don’t.
Along with this you need mountaineering clothing and boots for extremely cold and windy conditions, that is all alpine-grade and specially for climbing. Crampons do not work without Alpine boots, and helmets for skiing do not protect against rock fall.
How: Some gear can be found around Mt Fuji, but alpine boots in western sizes are impossible and must be bought in from elsewhere.
3. Know the timeline
What: The fastest we have gone to the summit of Mt Fuji and back to the car in winter is 10hrs – and that was with a national mountain running athlete. A fast ascent is around 12hrs, most trips take 14, and some can take much longer if things don’t go as planned.
In the short days of winter this means some of an ascent will be in the dark, when route finding is hard and temperatures obviously very cold. Smart climbers know how to plan to have daylight to their advantage, whilst not-smart climbers rely on luck and the false security of quick assistance.
Mt Fuji does not get easier as you ascend, as terrain changes, winds rise, and the hours go by. More than one climber has been assisted off the mountain, lucky to have found help, and others have been found after concerned hotel staff noticed they had not returned.
How: Know how fast you can cover ground and know the gradient of terrain, and do the basic math to extrapolate your ability.
4. Know the route
What: The summer routes on Mt Fuji do not exist in winter, being buried under meters of snow and ice. Even where infrastructure of the summer routes is clear, joining the dots is not easy, and is still not the best or safest route anyway.
The wrong route on Mt Fuji takes up time and energy, and can even lead to wrong descents that leave climbers a long way (and very expensive taxi ride) from where they started. Compounded by darkness, cloud conditions and not being able to read signs, getting lost is what has lead to the majority of incidents up there in winter.
How: Understand alpine route navigation and practice it. Don’t rely on your phone.
5. Know the conditions
What: Temperatures above -15c and winds below 40kmph is considered good on Mt Fuji in winter, despite being considered insane in other parts of the world. Being near the coast Mt Fuji can be volatile, with daily patterns that the newcomer may not know how to diagnose.
The slopes of Mt Fuji are prone to avalanching with minimal snowfall, the entire mountain being a series of avalanche chutes that shed thousands of tons of snow and rock each winter. One look at the trees and debris indicates the energy involved, which follows the layering of snow of many days of precipitation each winter.
How: Use professional grade forecast services rather than free ones that rely on unrealistic models.
6. Know what to do if things go wrong
What: Accidents happen, and no Mt Fuji winter climbing guide can predict them, and even if not to you, can happen to others nearby so if you cannot help you become part of the problem. The rudiments of mountaineering involve self, group and assisted rescue, and significant training to have effective results.
Thinking rescue will come soon – or even be possible – is not realistic on Mt Fuji, where winter conditions mean immobility greatly decreases survival. Helicopters almost never can rescue off Mt Fujis higher slopes, probably meaning a ground evacuation first which can take half a day.
Police in the precincts around Mt Fuji require registration for winter climbing, and check arrivals at trailheads for the right gear and contact details. They are present round the clock, and know the local taxi drivers, and though they cannot stop climbing they can stop reckless behaviour. Climbers who have negated the authorities safety procedures and who have accidents can be charged for misdemeanors, and billed for services if they not Japan residents.
Other climbers may not have the resources or capacity to assist in rescue, which includes Alpine Climbing Japan crew who may not assist unless a serious emergency.
How: Understand that in winter the contingencies on Mt Fuji are small and difficult. There are no taxis beyond the cleared roads and 9 days out of 10 the mountain has no one on it. Know the contacts for emergency and how to translate a response, and have rescue insurance to cover the costs.
When done right Mt Fuji is a real winter climbing achievement, but this means the same skill sets and abilities common to all mountaineering.