In the full-scale summer mountain season, there have been a series of cases in Nagano prefecture where a single climber died this month.
Police say that the number of people climbing alone is increasing due to the influence of the new coronavirus, and beginners are especially encouraged to climb with experienced people.
According to the police, 13 accidents occurred in Nagano prefecture from the 1st to the 19th of this month in the full-scale summer mountain season, of which Okuhotakadake and Kasumizawadake in the Northern Alps and Akadake in the Yatsugatake mountain range are in their 30s. Three men in their 50s died after slipping down.
This is more than the number of people who died in mountaineering in the last three months of July.
All three people who died are climbing alone, and police say, "I have the impression that the number of independent climbers is increasing due to the influence of the new corona."
On top of that, he said, "If you climb a mountain alone, you have to make a safety management decision by yourself, and there is a risk that discovery and rescue will be delayed in the event of a distress." I am calling for you to climb the mountain.
"Friends are hard to invite" Alone climber
In the early morning of the 17th of this month, many climbers were preparing to enter the mountain in Kamikochi, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, the gateway to the Northern Alps.
What stood out there was the appearance of a single climber.
According to the Kamikochi Mountaineering Counseling Center, according to the mountaineering plan submitted on this day, 92 out of 194 people who entered the mountain were independent climbers, which is 47.4%.
A woman in her twenties who came from Tokyo alone said, "I used to come to climb with a friend, but now I can climb alone as the infection of the new corona spreads. In the current infection situation, my friend invites me. It's hard. "
Call for cooperation from mountaineering equipment specialty stores
The Nagano Prefectural Police Headquarters is calling for cooperation from mountaineering equipment specialty stores, which have many contacts with mountaineers, in order to increase the chances of calling attention to mountaineering alone.
On the 17th of this month, we held a seminar for employees at a specialty store in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture.
In this, Captain Toshiro Kishimoto of the Nagano Prefectural Police Mountain Climbing Rescue Team called out, "If there is a customer who is going to climb the mountain alone, please explain the risk of climbing alone and give appropriate advice."
Toru Ishii, the manager of Ishii Sports Matsumoto, who participated in the seminar, said, "As a specialty store, I felt that there was still more we could do to prevent distress. I want to give you some advice. "