30 March 1922: Two British climbers return from the summit in ‘splendid condition’ despite losing all of their equipment and food on the mountain

Tokyo, 21 March
Major Orde-Lees, the parachute expert and Antarctic explorer, and Mr H Crisp, both of the British Air Mission in Japan, are the first climbers ever to reach the summit of Mount Fuji in midwinter. Major Orde-Lees is an experienced Alpinist, but Mr Crisp has had no former experience of mountain-climbing.

Mount Fuji is 12,388 feet high. The climb necessitated sleeping for two nights in a hut at 4,700 feet. The snow extended from the summit down to 2,500 feet. The last 4,000 feet below the summit consisted of solid ice. This portion of the climb occupied nine hours. The summit was reached at 7pm on 12 February. The whole of the descent was made in a dense fog during the night. A violent storm raged all through the first night. Including rests the climb and descent occupied exactly 48 hours. A record barograph was carried throughout the expedition.