Mount Fuji (富士山）3,776m. Trailhead: Fujinomiya
Starting point: Fujinomiya 5th Station
* Note of warning: Mt. Fuji is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS off season. I only went after 4 successful summer hikes, and I went with a licensed member of Japanese climbing association.
By 2019, I had already reached the summit of Mt. Fuji in the summer 4 times, and was looking to up the challenge. Due to the unique height and shape of the mountain, it is a completely different beast during the colder months of the year. Deep winter Fuji, which is usually mid-February is nothing less than suicide, with typhoon level winds at the top, avalanches, and temperatures dropping well below minus 40. So, the best time to climb a snow capped Fuji is either during the brief period between late Autumn and Early Winter - around the start of November, or between Late April and Mid-May.
My first attempt to hike the Snow Mount Fuji was in early May, and I went again with Mikhail as well as the Hiking Sensei and one of his other students. He picked us up from our apartments in Tokyo at an ungodly hour, and then we all drove together to the parking lot on Fujinomiya 5th station. Surprisingly, there were quite a lot of other cars and hikers despite it being the off season. The early morning was cold, but soon got warmer.
Snow Mount Fuji - it's a completely different mountain.
Knowing well how cold Fuji can be even in the summer, I packed some very warm winter clothes. I packed lots of water, hiking poles, change of clothes, some camera equipment, my trusty pick axe, and a cheap set of crampons. All the gear must of weighed at least 15 kilograms or more, and on top of it, the mountain warmed up. It was a strange freak heat wave, and by 10am it was over 30 degrees celsius! As we slowly pushed our way upwards over the snow covered path, the route began to get steeper and more slippery. The crampons I bought weren't holding so well, and Mikhail didn't even have any. We took a break just below the 7th station and saw a team of hikers descending. They warned us that the conditions were even worse above. So with the combination of the heavy backpack, the hot weather, slippery surface, and inadequate crampon support, we decided to call it quits, and head back.
We were all feeling hugely disappointed, but in the end I still think it was the right decision. To lift my friend's spirits, Naoyasu took them on a little excursion to the hidden mountain on the side of Fuji-san (a mountain within a mountain), which at least gave a small adventure. Overall, I realized that summer Fuji & snow Fuji are two completely different mountains with a very different hiking strategy and preparedness.
Learn from mistakes, improve, conquer
So, although we didn't reach the top this time, I was determined to try again. The next time there would be snow (but not Everest level conditions) would be late October. As such, I had to fix several things based on this recent fail. First, I needed better crampons. The ones I used were a cheap net, and didn't have much traction against hard ice. I needed to invest a good $400 if I wanted some peace of mind when climbing up those icy slopes. Of course, there was no way I could find these in Japan, so I saved up and got a set when I went back to Canada in the summer. The next part was to buy light but warm gear. I bought a grey wind jacket and several thermal shirts. And finally, the main thing I needed to fix, was my own health. I had packed on a few pounds over the past year, and from September onwards I forced myself to climb a nearby shrine stairs every morning to build up the strength in my legs so I didn't tire so easily. The weather was looking fine on October 28th, so that was the day we planned to climb.
A cold & and early start
Naoyasu picked me up around 3:30am, and before 5:00 we had already reached the Fujinomiya 5th station parking lot. Along the way, we passed through a fog and saw several deer out and about on the road. This time, it was just the two of us hiking. We wasted no time pushing upwards. Although it was much colder than May, there was significantly less snow & ice between the 5th and 8th stations. Because of this, we moved fast. Although the sun had already risen, the wind and altitude balanced the cold temperatures. Specifically the wind chill was so strong, it was able to cut right through our "windproof" clothes. Thankfully, the weather stayed clear and sunny throughout the hike. It stayed at about minus 5 degrees celsius throughout the hike, but the wind chill made it feel much colder.
Ice covered path between the 9th station & trail summit
About 4 hours later, we had already reached the 9th station and could see the Fujinomiya summit far above us. This is where the snow finally started to really pile on, although not as bad as I had expected. (Naoyasu & I had hiked Mt. Nasu during a blinding blizzard the year before). Within this short amount of time, we had gained over 1000m of altitude. With such a rapid elevation change, I started feeling some migraine symptoms start, and this was the last place I wanted another migraine or altitude sickness. However, I had prepared some medicine and dumped a bottle of mint oil on my head to help expand the blood vessels. I took a 5 min break, ate some food and hydrated. Thankfully, the migraine was averted and we were able to push forward. It was also the first time I ever experienced any altitude related symptoms on Fuji, probably because we were moving so fast.
A snow capped summit
After one more hour pushing ourselves up the steep & icy slopes, we had finally reached the top of the Fujinomiya trail. From there, we walked along the snow capped crown towards Kengamine peak [Ken-gah-me-nay], the truest summit of Mt. Fuji. Although a short walk, it was here where my crampons paid off, as every step up that last hill was pure ice, and one slip could easily lead to disaster. Fortunately the blades were able to pierce through the material and pull us to Kengamine peak - highest point of Japan. At the top, we noticed some Japanese self-defense jets fly around the mountain. After taking some photos and video, we quickly began our descent.
The clearest view from the top of Japan
The snow covered path to Kengamine
We moved downward at quite a fast pace, wanting to reach the bottom before sunset. We finally took a break at the 7th station where I was ready to collapse. Wanting to climb light, I had only packed so many supplies, and had ran out of food. Of course the great Naoyasu was super prepared, showing me he still had a backpack full of snacks and water, so I didn't feel too guilty when he offered me some. Just 20 minutes before we reached the bottom, the two of us passed by several British hikers who had no idea the length or difficulty of hiking Mt. Fuji, asking if they'd be at the top within an hour or so. It was going to be dark within an hour and this group had no real winter gear. I had to be frank and tell them that there was no way they'd make it to the top, and hoped they'd make the right decision to turn back. Fortunately, we saw them heading down by the time we arrived in the parking lot.
That evening when I looked in the mirror, I realized that I had a horrible sunburn from the UV reflected by the snow.
Unbeknownst to us at the time, just a few hours after we had started descending, a tragedy occurred near the summit - another hiker slipped and live streamed his death. It was a heavy reminder that although Mt. Fuji might be advertised as a tourist site, it is still Japan's tallest mountain, and should never be underestimated.
One week after I stayed at a hotel near lake Kawaguchiko and got a nice view of the snow capped Mt. Fuji. Seeing the mighty mountain breaking through the clouds, overshadowing the small lake town at its feet, it was hard to imagine I was standing at it's summit just a week prior.
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