at the top of Mount Fuji a lonely stage 4 cancer patient struggles with freezing conditions he has no winter clothing or safety equipment he ignores multiple warnings to turn back and a mysterious voice can be heard saying don't come determined to live life to the fullest tetsu shiohara live streams his climb but his viewers can hardly imagine what they are about to witness harshly criticized online tetsu shiohara was a lost soul he lived alone in a small apartment on the island of shikoku at 47 years old some describe him as a ronin student meaning a Drfter or wandering man others describe him as a humble and determined learner after studying in America tetsu returned to Japan and failed several attempts to pass his bar exam in comparison his parents were valued members of society with his father employed as a local Professor these problems caused tetsu to become even more reclusive despite already having a distant relationship with his family and no friends his lack of social interaction is likely why tedzu as he was known online began live streaming in 2015 around this time tetsu took up mountain climbing as a hobby and announced his intentions to compete in biathlons despite being a struggling student he never complained about his circumstances during his streams he loved speaking with his viewers and was generous with his time out of his regular viewers one in particular stands out an attractive woman called saaton who also broadcasted lifestyle videos she was friendly with tetsu and the two would interact online in 2017 he accepted offered to climb Mount Fuji with saaton and they completed the climb together it's unclear if the two ever met in person again but saaton kept in touch via his live streams and encouraged him to keep climbing tetsu also broadcasted his daily activities including commuting to his Hospital appointments as a stage 4 colon cancer patient he only had 7% survival odds he was unemployed and received financial support from his parents approaching 50 with no real prospects it's hard to say what his mental state was leading up to the events of October 2019 but he probably wanted to make up for lost time and felt he had nothing to lose this might be why tetsu became a regular climber of Japan's tallest mountain Mount Fuji a national symbol of Japan tetsu reached its Summit every summer season Legends say that the spirit goddess of sakuya Heime protects and lives on the mountain discussions online even suggests the goddess took notice of tetsu's presence in the events to come standing at 12,389 FT Fuji's hiking season runs from July to mid-september this is when weather conditions and its popular Trails make it one of the most visited mountains in the world climbing outside this window without permission from authorities is strictly forbidden ice and snow make climbing its slopes dangerous for professionals let alone the general public compared to other mountains Fuji is welldeveloped and welcoming to beginners its Trails have 10 rest points where climbers can sleep buy hot food and access first aid stations there are even paved trails to the fifth Station Midway up the mountain where the trails become less Urban despite its relative safety there are still accidents as hundreds of rescues and around 10 fatalities occur every year the mountain Huts only offer short-term protection making sudden weather changes dangerous hypothermia is another risk temperatures at the summit are below freezing even in the summer months one experienced hiker recalls facing these challenges I was in excellent shape however I was unprepared I expected Fuji to be easy that all changes when you get freezing sideways rain with 40 mph gusts the windchill meant it was around 20 my gear was inadequate I got altitude sickness and became hypothermic hallucinating in a mountain hut with purple lips and low oxygen saturation I got caught out by a sudden typhoon triple check the weather listen to locals and over prepare all these risks are clearly stated on the official Mountain website it has recommendations for gear planning and frequent weather reports in short there's no excuse for climbers to enter unprepared with all that said tetu safely completed a climb of Mount Fuji on the 7th of September 2019 this was 3 days before offseason weather turned the Mountain Trails into a much different challenge if later events are to go by tetsu likely ignored official advice ascending and descending the mountain in a single day by this point he'd climb Fuji several times for at least 4 years without incident the summer conditions mean he had no winter climbing experience it's also unknown if he owned proper Outdoor Clothing what is certain however is that tetsu had no technical climbing skills they aren't required to complete a climb of the trails in the summer so tetsu never learned them a month later he broadcasted his commute home from a Hospital appointment a live stream viewer mentioned they'd like to see the view from Mount Fuji in the winter well if it were now it probably wouldn't be that cold it's probably - 3 or -4 it's the top of the mountain so I'll just go there quickly I'll move forward without dying I won't even feel cold the fact that tetu mentions dying means he knows how dangerous climbing Fuji is out of season it saw its first snow cap just a day earlier and temperatures were already well below freezing at the summit viewers thought he was joking but a seed had been planted in his mind perhaps he felt like he had nothing better to do maybe his close encounter with death made him Reckless or was he in denial of the danger he was placing himself in whatever the case tetsu shiohara found himself planning to hike the 35th tallest mountain on Earth in near winter conditions officially the trails are closed from the fifth station onwards outside of the summer season for the general public so he wouldn't have access to Mountain Huts for food or rest nor could he purchase supplies Like Oxygen and clothing he'd be alone only approved climbers are allowed to reach Fuji's Summit in the off seon despite these preparations people die on the Mountain's winter slopes yearly and if a daredevil chooses to ignore the danger no one will stop them with gradients at the summit as steep as 35° in places Fuji's well- me maintained paths became ice rings at a minimum crampons were needed to provide grip equally trekking poles with snow baskets help Mountaineers with balance and traction finally an ice axe is essential to perform a life-saving self-arrest maneuver without ropes it is the only way to stop an uncontrolled slip and save climbers from sliding off a mountain a group of climbers struggled to reach the summit of Mount Fuji in the same month as tetsu's planned climb the mountain is deceiving the Lower Mountain has no snow and pleasant weather roots are easy to see and follow once hitting the ice it's a different Mountain the kind of stuff that if you fall without spikes or an axe you're not going to stop I saw about 10 people up there as well everyone had the appropriate gear but some were still having a hard time with altitude and exertion if you've never climbed with an axe or crampon stay away it's under this pretext that Hsu an mature outdoor Enthusiast heads to Mount Fuji he sets off early for Tokyo on the 28th of October this would take him to the fifth station where he joined the most popular Yoshida Trail he plans to start hiking in midm morning reaching the summit as quickly as possible and then descend the mountain on the same day but something seems off with tetsu with a difficult task ahead he feels scared as he realizes he's the only passenger left on the bus he also posts that he feels sick and wants to go home at 10:30 he reaches the fifth station and starts his live broadcast let's go to snowy Mount Fuji tetsu mentions the top of his ears a cold suggesting he's not wearing a hat his gloves aren't wind or waterproof and his choices of casual jeans light hiking boots and a fleece jacket aren't much better to complete his kit is a pair of or Ary hiking poles and his trusty phone allowing him to live stream The Climb at 10:42 he enters the Yushi Trail ignoring clear warnings that it's closed the air is Misty clouds hang low in the atmosphere the terrain is moist and damp but it isn't causing Tatu problems yet still the idea of death plays on tetsu's mind it's almost as if he's having second thoughts tetsu plans to reduce the typical 10hour round trip to just over 6 hours by completing a rapid climb of the mountain it was tight timing and he knew he'd be returning in darkness why then didn't he bring a head or handheld torch just in case was he planning to rely on his phone strangely he even comments on how he should avoid areas of snow because he's inexperienced it's my first time and it's a bit too challenging to Summit a mountain at this time of year it's my own fault I'm not a season veteran and I don't have one here either I'll try not to die I think I'll be able to come back so let's go even if I die I won't know the rest is at your own risk tetu climbs over another warning sign and continues to head towards the snowcapped mountain anyway less than 30 minutes into his climb he's already hungry he passes a collapsed section of Trail and claims he left an energy bar at home to be lighter for the climb he's also breathing more heavily the altitude is clearly having an effect he has the comments from his live stream playing out loud so a woman's voice can be heard responding to him she asks him about crampons and he admits he forgot to bring [Music] them as if trying to convince himself he yet again plays it off as if it's not a problem problem and continues his mission to reach the top of the mountain shortly after tetsu reaches the Sixth Station and sees that the mountain Huts are closed he tells his viewers outside of mountain climbing snow is the only thing that's easy to climb he also comments that he'll have no food so he'll have to drink his Frozen cold green tea has a season Mount Fuji climber he must have known that the Huts were closed so why wasn't tetsu better are prepared he's also behind schedule reaching the summit by 2: p. m. is crucial or else he won't only be walking from the fifth station to the bus in darkness instead it'll be a descent on icy slopes in Pitch Black with only a phone torch to guide his path as he breaks free of the low cloud tetsu looks up the Mountain snow covers the area closest to the summit the sun is out and there are clear skies sweating he wants to get to the snow as quickly as possible he reaches the 7eventh station at 11:35 and hears someone's voice shortly after he comes across a man and a woman on the trail hi how you doing top yeah and you no not I don't think we have time for not prepared his breathing is much heavier now he's 1,000 M below the summit and there are only 5 hours of sunlight left he's still determined to complete a round trip of the mountain and all this without food or time to rest after wishing tetsu good luck the pair head to safety and the base below he likewise makes his way only towards danger in the ice above as more ice and snow cover the path tetsu's hunger gets worse he's been up since the early morning and all he has in his bag is tea Mountaineers can burn 700 calories an hour even more in extreme conditions he again tells his viewers that it would be better if it were snowing as he'd be moving faster once more as if he were trying to convince himself he contradicts this belief with the following by 1:19 p.
m. tetsu reaches the eighth station he's completely alone and the trail is covered in snow from here the mountain looks increasingly like a skiing Resort the guard rail and ropeways are covered by at least several feet of snow he already comments that he's slipping on the surface not to be deterred he still has confidence in his outdoor abilities it's another world compared to the trail only 50 or 60 M below at 150 p. m.
the trail is almost unwalkable without the right gear it's completely exposed there's nothing to grab on to If He Slipped the only sign of a path is from Human Footprints walking down in the opposite direction tetu suffers from a lack of oxygen and stronger winds the frozen snow has also created a very narrow walkable path one wrong step and he would be in serious trouble it's already unclear how tetsu could safely descend the mountain and he's yet to reach its most dangerous sections ignoring these risks he continues on his mission by now it's 215 the path is barely visible and tetsu is walking along at least 30° slopes he battles with the winds and is starting to lose feeling in his fingers he's also unclear if he's even on the right path after a few minutes he reaches the path around the summit and is happy that he made it before 300 p. m. it's a hollow Victory my fingers are numb almost no feeling this is bad continuing along the path he tries to warm his fingers but can't in these circumstances frostbite can set in in as little as 30 minutes but tetsu is so obsessed with live streaming that he continues to take off his gloves to check his phone for the rest of his hike he tells himself he must hurry up and ignore a final chance to seek shelter and possibly call for help at the final station on his route the paths along the summit are covered by more than 3 ft of snow in places this means tetsu has to climb over frozen snow drifts with only loose rocks to steady himself he will mention slipping being careful not to slip or that the ground is slippery every 30 seconds his fingers go from being numb to painful the wind gets worse the more exposed he becomes in places the Rope WS are the only thing keeping him upright it's obvious the conditions are too much for tetsu and he's worried but he still seems to think he'll finish the round trip as planned and on the way down be careful not to fall he follows the path for another four minutes complaining that the pain in his fingers is worse this is where a so-called ghost of the mountain Whispers a single word her carrying with the wind is the word kid meaning don't come could it be that even the goddess sakuya haime was warning tetsu to turn back he's now at the steepest slopes on the path so far to the left is a sheer drop without much runoff and the ropeway protecting him from it is coming to an end as he looks ahead it appears like the path is beginning to descend he can barely maintain balance on The Frozen Ground beneath him as it is to show you how bad the conditions were this is what the ground tetsu was standing on looked like in the summer Chris White an experienced Mountaineer put it this way if you do slip you'll have at most one chance to self arrest if you miss that you're probably taking a highly injurious or fatal one-way trip down the mountain as he approaches the end of the ropeway tetsu nearly Falls over on the ice he laughs it off a few seconds later he slips again this time he's right at the end of the ropeway it's dangerous wait a minute shockingly he pauses to take a photo despite having freezing fingers and nearly falling twice he's beyond the safety of the ropeway and standing on solid ice there's nothing to hold on to as he edges forward he notes the steepness of the slope tetsu warns dangerous here too it's a bit slippery tetsu slipped near the summit around 2:30 p.
m. the stream was still live shutting off when his phone hit a rock there was nothing to hold and he didn't know how to stop a slide so he picked up speed until he fell from the Mountain's Edge fortunately tetsu's parents were at one stage watching his live stream but left around 10 minutes before it's also possible that his friend saan could have been the female voice talking to him for most of the climb members of his live stream contacted police to let them know what happened and a search began for 2 days is a team of rescue workers in a helicopter looked for tetsu 2 days later at 1:40 p. m.
