First winter ascent of Mount Fuji – archive, 1922

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.

The climbers state that the cold at the top of the mountain at night was not severe. They had the misfortune to lose their entire equipment, cameras, spare clothing, Thermos flasks, snowshoes, and all their food, through ‘caching’ it at a height of 10,000 feet and being unable to find it in the fog and darkness on the way down. In spite of going without food for 12 hours they arrived in splendid condition at their starting-place, Gotemba. No guides, horses, or vehicles were employed other than a small sledge made from a crashed aeroplane, on which the climbers pulled their equipment to the sleeping hut.

Major Orde-Lees was a member of the Shackleton Expedition of 1914-15, in charge of motor-sledges, and has made 81 parachute descents from aeroplanes with a view to perfecting aerial life-saving.

Parachute descent from an aeroplane: British major’s jump

12 August 1921

Lausanne
The daring experiment of landing by parachute from an aeroplane when at an altitude of between 2,000 and 3,000 feet was successfully carried out here yesterday by Major Orde-Lees, a member of the Shackleton Antarctic Expedition.

From a machine piloted by Captain Piercen, who recently arrived here from Warsaw, Major Orde-Lees jumped into space, and after falling some 1,200 to 1,500 feet the parachute began to open out, and before he had fallen another 200 to 150 feet it opened to its full extent. Within three minutes of his leaving the aeroplane Major Orde-Lees landed safely, amid the enthusiastic cheers of an immense crowd of spectators.