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As hikers prepare to descend on Mount Fuji now that climbing season has opened, it’s worth celebrating the achievements of the nation’s female climbers both above and below the clouds
Japanese mountaineer Yasushi Yamanoi is to receive the13th Piolets d Or Carrière Lifetime Achievement Award. The prize giving ceremony will be celebrated in Briançon, France, from 26 to 29 November.
Kazuya Hiraide poses on a tree deck he built in a forest owned by his father near the family home in Fujimi, Nagano Prefecture. He said his habit of leaning against a tree trunk on the deck helps him to refresh his mind when he is back home. (Yasuhiro Sugimoto)
When he’s not putting himself in danger by scaling the world’s highest peaks, Kazuya Hiraide often leans against a tree trunk in Nagano Prefecture to collect his thoughts.
He has a lot on his mind these days.
After losing his longtime climbing partner in an accident in Hokkaido in 2015, Hiraide is now plotting to conquer K2, the world’s second highest peak, by a new route up the west face with a new partner.