This isn’t the plot for an upcoming action comedy movie, but the story of a real person who was actually rescued from Japan’s Mount Fuji twice in a short span—because they went back for their phone—and it’s quite the tale of determination (or perhaps questionable priorities).
A 27-year-old Chinese university student living in Japan was climbing Mount Fuji outside the official climbing season, which runs from early July to early September. On April 22, 2025, he was on the Fujinomiya trail, about 9,800 feet above sea level, when he ran into trouble. He’d lost his spiked attachments for climbing shoes that provide traction on icy surfaces, making it impossible for him to descend safely in the snowy conditions. Shizuoka prefectural police organized a helicopter rescue to airlift him off the mountain. During this first climb, he left behind some belongings, including his mobile phone.
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Four days later, on April 26, 2025, the student returned to the same trail, determined to recover his phone and other items. Unfortunately, he wasn’t prepared for the off-season conditions again. Another climber found him near the 8th station, unable to move due to altitude sickness. The Shizuoka police’s mountain rescue team was dispatched, and they stretchered him down to the 5th station, where he was handed over to the fire department around midnight, about 14 hours after the distress call. He was taken to a hospital, treated for altitude sickness, and is now reported to be in stable condition, with no serious injuries.
[Source]
