Mountaineering

World Nov 7, 2020

Facing pandemic economic woes, Nepal reopens to adventurers

The country has been reeling from the effects of the coronavirus in a time that had been designated as Visit Nepal year.

National Jul 5, 2020

Nagano police issue compact tip cards to mountain climbers as accidents rise

The Nagano Prefectural Police have created tip cards for climbing each of 50 major mountains in the sprawling prefecture. The police have been distributing them to climbers to make them aware of risky locations on the trails and to help them choose mountains that more ...

National Jun 18, 2020

Fewer people got lost in Japan's mountains in 2019

The number of people who got lost in mountains in Japan in 2019 stood at 2,937, with elderly people accounting for more than half of them, data from the National Police Agency (NPA) showed Thursday. Of the total, 299 were confirmed dead or missing. The ...

National May 18, 2020

Mount Fuji to be closed to climbers this summer due to virus

For the first time it at least 60 years, Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures opt to not open all four trails to the top of the iconic mountain.

National / Science & Health Apr 23, 2020

Japan mountaineering groups ask climbers to stay away during pandemic

Four associations in Japan involved in mountain activities have released a joint statement asking people to refrain from climbing until the threat of COVID-19 subsides. They issued the appeal to climbers in a statement dated April 20, ahead of the Golden Week holidays that begin ...

Asia Pacific Feb 28, 2020

Snowfall ends rare winter ascent of Everest by Nepal sherpas

Four Sherpa climbers ended a rare expedition to climb Mount Everest in winter and within just five days because of heavy snow, officials said on Thursday. The team led by 34-year-old Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, an eight-time Everest veteran, left Kathmandu for the mountain on Monday ...

Asia Pacific Dec 18, 2019

Veteran climbers skeptical proposed rules for Mount Everest will stop deaths

Veteran climbers of Mount Everest are skeptical that proposed new regulations by the Nepalese government to tighten the permit process for adventurers will address the root causes of this year's heavy death toll on the world's tallest peak. American mountaineers Ed Viesturs and Alan Arnette ...

World Dec 6, 2019

Low temperatures in Pyrenees save life of hiker who endured six-hour cardiac arrest

A 34-year-old British hiker was revived in Spain after a six-hour cardiac arrest brought on by severe hypothermia, with the low temperatures that made her ill also helping to save her life. Audrey Mash's ordeal began on Tuesday when she and her husband were hiking ...

National Nov 13, 2019

Body on Mount Fuji confirmed as that of Tokyo man who livestreamed fall

A body that was discovered last month on Mount Fuji has been confirmed to be that of a 47-year-old man from Tokyo who was livestreaming himself when he fell from the snow-capped summit. Tetsu Shiohara, who died from injuries sustained in the fall, was using ...

Travel Jul 26, 2019

Nagano's famed Jonen mountain hut celebrates 100 years of stunning vistas

by Chris Cook

First opened in 1919, the Jonen-goya mountain hut is still going strong at 100 — offering adventurous hikers in Nagano Prefecture's Japan Alps a place to rest and recharge.

National Jun 26, 2019

Mount Fuji opens to climbers Monday, but summit inaccessible for now

by Hinano Kobayashi

The Yoshida trail, the most popular of the four routes taken to climb Mount Fuji, will open Monday for the climbing season, but climbers using the trail won't yet be able to reach the summit. The route is still blocked by a rock-slide caused by ...