An inexperienced climber became stranded on Mount Fuji last week, after climbing to the top of the Japanese mountain and losing some of their climbing gear. As if that weren’t bad enough, the man subsequently returned to the peak a few days later after having forgotten their phone at the summit. Humiliatingly, he had to be rescued again.
BBC reports that a 27-year-old Chinese university student (whom authorities have mercifully declined to name) was initially rescued last Tuesday near the summit of the mountain after losing his crampons. Crampons are a kind of spiked cleat that allows for safe traversal of icy environments. He was at a height of some 12,388 feet when he had to be rescued by helicopter and flown to safety, authorities told CNN.
However, the student then made the dubious decision to scale the mountain again a few days later because he had forgotten his phone at the top, officials said. He had to be rescued yet again, after climbing to a height of 9,842 feet and experiencing altitude sickness, CNN writes. Altitude sickness occurs as the body’s response to climbing in elevation too quickly. Some climbers can have trouble adjusting to the more limited oxygen levels and may experience disorientation and difficulty breathing.
The man’s double trip up (and down) the mountain is made more audacious by the fact that he attempted the climbs outside of the official climbing season, CNN writes. Indeed, the mountain’s website states: “The 2025 climbing season is scheduled to start in early July and end in early September.” The climbing trails are currently closed, and many of the signposts have been temporarily removed, CNN notes.
Mount Fuji is one of Japan’s most popular tourist destinations, drawing hundreds of thousands of climbers every year during the summer months. Fuji is also an active volcano and is located not far from Tokyo. Earlier this year, Japanese authorities issued guidance to the public on how to stay safe if the mountain were to erupt.
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