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WE STARTED TRUE WINTER Mt FUJI ASCENTS FOR FOREIGN CLIMBERS BACK IN 2009, AND HAVE CLOCKED UP +70 TRIPS UP THERE BETWEEN DECEMBER AND MARCH, INCLUDING ABOUT HALF OF THEM WITH NIGHTS HIGH UP. WE DON’T TOUCH THE TRAIL, INSTEAD CLIMBING IT AS A REAL PEAK, BY VARIOUS ROUTES, HAVING LEARNED FIRST HAND FROM JAPAN’S ELITE CLIMBERS HOW THEY DO IT FOR TRAINING.
THESE ASCENTS ARE MUCH MORE RELATED TO HIMALAYAN CLIMBING THAN MANY THINK, USING THE SAME EQUIPMENT IN CONDITIONS THE SAME IN EVERY WAY EXCEPT ALTITUDE. WINDS, COLD, EXPOSURE AND TECHNICALITY ARE ALL WHAT SEE ON EVERY TRIP TO TIBET OR XINJIANG, AND FUJI’S UNIQUE PROFILE LETS US GET IN ENORMOUS VERTICAL GAIN UNDER REAL CONDITIONS – UP TO 2500m OF ASCENT IN HALF A DAY. THAT’S REAL MONEY.
LAST WINTER WE WERE ASKED MORE THAN ONCE TO DO NIGHT TIME ASCENTS, SOMETHING WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE BUT USUALLY AS AN EXTENSION OF A REGULAR OVERNIGHT. ONCE THE BASICS OF COLD AND DARKNESS ARE OVERCOME NIGHT ASCENTS ACTUALLY HAVE SOME ADVANTAGES, NAMELY AVOIDING THE TEMPERATURE VARIATION BETWEEN HIGH AND LOW ON THE MOUNTAIN THAT IMPOSES A CERTAIN STRATEGY, SO WITH INCREASED INTEREST WE WORKED IT OUT AND NOW RUN IT AS IT’S OWN THING.
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WHAT
THIS IS THE FULL Mt FUJI ASCENT FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE NORTH SIDE, TO THE SUMMIT VIA A DIRECT ALPINE ROUTE, DONE IN A SINGLE PUSH, AND BACK TO THE BOTTOM, IN A SINGLE NIGHT. BECAUSE OF THE STRATEGY (SEE BELOW) THIS CAN BE DONE VERY FAST AND LIGHT WHEN THE MOUNTAIN IS AT IT’S MOST STABLE, NEEDING A MINIMUM OF GEAR. THIS ASCENT USES THE NIGHT NAKED STYLE PERFECTED IN THE LATE 20th CENTURY FOR MINIMALIST ASCENTS OF 8000m PEAKS – OPTIMIZE ON ALL ELEMENTS AND GO.
NOTE THIS IS NOT A ‘SUNRISE’ ASCENT WHICH COMES AS A FORM OF FULL OVERNIGHT ASCENTS.
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WHY
THIS IS THE MOST EFFICIENT AND SMOOTH WAY OF CLIMBING Mt FUJI, AND WHEN YOU KNOW HOW MAKES FOR THE FASTEST AND LIGHTEST WINTER ASCENTS. IT IS SAFER, NEEDS FAR FEWER STOPS TO TWEAK GEAR AND CLIMBS AT A TIME WHEN THE MOUNTAIN CAN BE AT IT’S MOST SUBLIME.
THIS IS ALSO THE STYLE FOR CLIMBERS PREPARING FOR BIGGER THINGS, TEACHING THE DETAILS AND METHODS OF NIGHT CLIMBING DONE AS AN INTENTIONAL STRATEGY (SEE THE FORTHCOMING ARTICLE). THIS IS WHERE YOU GET TO REALLY TRY OUT GEAR APTITUDE FOR BIG ASCENTS.
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HOW
OUR WINTER Mt FUJI STRATEGIES ARE KEPT ‘NEED TO KNOW’ TO PREVENT THE FOLLIES OF TOURISTS THAT ATTEMPT Mt FUJI IN WINTER AND BECOME A DANGER TO THEMSELVES AND OTHERS. IN AGREEMENT WITH THE YAMANASHI AUTHORITIES WE DON’T DISCLOSE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS THAT COULD BE CONSTRUED AS US BEING LIABLE.
BUT, WE WILL SAY THAT WE USE A WELL-PROVEN STRATEGY THAT COMBINES A TIMELINE AND ROUTE SELECTIONS THAT ARE THE SAFEST AND MOST EFFICIENT ON THE MOUNTAIN. WE AVOID THE THINGS THAT SLOW DOWN AND COMPROMISE THE MANY ATTEMPTS THAT EITHER FAIL OR ARE EXCESSIVELY INVOLVED AND EXPENSIVE, AND USE THE STANDARDS OF ALPINISM TO CLIMB NON-STOP AND VIA LINES MOST OVERLOOK.
NIGHT ASCENTS TAKE MINIMAL GEAR, SOME EVEN PACK-LESS, BUT WHAT WE DO TAKE IS CRITICAL. CONDITIONS ALLOW US TO USE A FEW THINGS NOT SEEN ON NORMAL TRIPS, IN WHAT ARE THE TRUE NIGHT NAKED TECHNIQUES NOT SEEN OUTSIDE THE STYLE.
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WHO
NIGHT ASCENTS OF Mt FUJI SUIT CONFIDENT CLIMBERS WHO WANT TO A SIDE OF BOTH THE MOUNTAIN AND ALPINISM ITSELF THAT MANY NEVER WILL. TECHNICAL OPTIONS RANGE FROM BASIC TO ‘HELL YEAH’, BUT ALL VERSIONS ARE A WAY TO APPLY THE DISCIPLINE AND MINDSET OF GOOD STRATEGY.
ASIDE FROM THE PURE ALPINISTS THESE ASCENTS ATTRACT THE TIME-CRUNCHED, AND THOUGH THEY USE UP THE SAME JUICE AS A NORMAL ASCENT, THEY FIT SOME SCHEDULES BETTER. THIS IS A GOOD PLAN FOR CLIMBERS BETWEEN DESTINATIONS OR WHO HAVE PEOPLE WAITING FOR THEM DOWN IN A HOTEL. WHILST WE MAKE NO PRETENCES THAT IT IS A HUGE EFFORT, THE LATE START AND EARLY RETURN WITH MINIMAL GEAR CAN FIT WELL WITH SOME ITINERARIES.
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WINTER Mt FUJI NIGHT ASCENTS RUN DURING WINTER CONDITIONS, USUALLY FROM DECEMBER TO MARCH, WITH ASCENTS PERMITTING A WEEK OR TWO EITHER SIDE.
ALL TRIPS ARE TO SINGLE CLIMBERS OR ARRANGED TEAMS. WE DO NOT MIX CLIMBERS.
AS WITH ALL OUR TRIPS, THESE ARE PARTNERED, NOT GUIDED. WE CLIMB AS REAL TEAMS, AT THE TEAMS CAPABILITY, AND THE OUTCOME YOU OWN AS YOUR EFFORT NOT THE EFFORT OF A GUIDE.
Mt FUJI TRIPS ARE RUN UNDER ALPINE CLIMBING JAPAN, THE JAPAN-SPECIFIC PART OF FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS.