Mt Fuji climb last week in March

A friend and I will be traveling to Japan the last week in March. We were hoping to possibly attempt Fuji. I understand that March has a higher risk of Avalanche danger. I�fve climbed Mt Hood. Mt Adams and Sahale in the northern Cascades, and handful of others. So I have some Alpine experience with ice and snow. If this is something we can attempt last week in March or can point us in the right direction to an alternative hike, it would be greatly appreciated:)

Kind regards
Brian

It is closed at that time. If you go, you risk hurting yourself and the rescuers who would be dispatched to aid you. You'd also have to pay for the extraction. I would not recommend it.

Hi Brian,

If you have technical winter climbing experience, Fuji in late March might be possible. Fuji is basically a giant sheet of exposed ice in winter with extremely high winds, extreme cold, and high risk of deadly slides. And late March would absolutely mean full-on winter conditions. I'd recommend only considering an attempt if you have significant mountaineering experience in similar alpine conditions, full winter gear (alpine crampons, axe(s), safety gear, etc.), orienteering skills/gear (descending to the same spot can definitely be challenging), and ideally a partner or two. Huts are obviously all closed, so you basically need to do it in one (very long) go--I'd consider backup gear for surviving a night in case things went bad, too. Also, access can be challenging (you almost certainly need to have a car to get to a reasonable starting point).

Again, this is not a climb to attempt without hard, technical alpine climbing experience. I'd also consult local national park authorities to get conditions, make sure you have the right gear and experience required, and to register the climb in case of emergency.

There are many other less-demanding winter hike options, in Japan, though. Which one to recommend kind of depends what type of climb you're looking for, what kind of gear you're willing to bring/rent, your experience level, and how far off the beaten path you're willing to travel. ;)