Climbing Mt. Fuji 4 TIMES in 24 HOURS!

In 2007, two climbers (Jeff De Groot and Doug Szwarc) climbed Mt. Fuji 3 times in one day in order to raise money for the Shunkou Gakuen Orphanage.  The trip spanned 23 hours and 38 minutes while raising nearly $4500 for the orphanage.  The money was used to purchase the orphanage 8 bikes, an industrial washing machine, a DVD projector system, as well as over 20 DVDs for the kids.

This year there will be four climbers — Rob Lovern, Doug Szwarc, Luke Nelson, and Mike Raney.  They will be starting from the 5th station (2305 meters) of Mt. Fuji, making 4 full round trips to the summit (3776 meters) and back.  This will equate to climbing 5884 meters (19,304 feet) up and subsequently 5884 meters down (i.e. effectively climbing up and then down a 5884 meter mountain in one day).  This is equivalent to climbing up and down Mt. Kilimanjaro in one day, or 10,000 feet short of climbing Mt. Everest in one day.

Being short of 24 hours by only 22 minutes makes this challenge seem if not impossible, improbable at the very least.  They have done all the calculations and it is clear to them that this goal is obtainable, but it will not be easy. Their first climb last year (consisting of a slow jog) took them under 4 hours up and down the mountain, allowing them to take it “easy” on the rest of the climbs.  They also used this extra time to take sizeable breaks after each climb and also allowed to wait at the top for sunrise in the morning.  The short timeline this year will not afford the opportunity to take these breaks.

They say that in a lifetime, one climb to Mt. Fuji is enough, and two are foolish. This guys are going to climb it four times in 24 hours for charity…I think their motives are good and the challenge sounds fun. It begins on September 1st, 2008. If you want more details about this event, visit their site.

I wish at least I could see Mt. Fuji…