Transfer student Buntaro Mori starts his first day at his new school already on the administration’s radar. He’s withdrawn and sullen, and the teachers are just waiting for him to explode. When his annoying classmate Miyamoto promises to leave him alone forever if he climbs to the top of the school, Mori eagerly takes up the challenge and shocks everyone when he makes it all the way to the roof. Flushed with the victory of his first successful climb, Mori can’t resist the lure of the local peak, despite warnings from more experienced climbers about the risks of climbing alone. But Mori doesn’t care. A little danger is nothing in the face of his new obsession.
Transfer student Buntaro Mori starts his first day at his new school already on the administration’s radar. He’s withdrawn and sullen, and the teachers are just waiting for him to explode. When his annoying classmate Miyamoto promises to leave him alone forever if he climbs to the top of the school, Mori eagerly takes up the challenge and shocks everyone when he makes it all the way to the roof. Flushed with the victory of his first successful climb, Mori can’t resist the lure of the local peak, despite warnings from more experienced climbers about the risks of climbing alone. But Mori doesn’t care. A little danger is nothing in the face of his new obsession.
For a brief, brilliant moment, Mori thought he had found his purpose in life, but after an unscrupulous reporter’s sensationalized article gets the climbing club canceled, he finds himself more at odds with the world than ever. With nothing left to lose, Mori agrees to go alpine climbing with Kurosawa, the very reporter who ruined everything, not caring that he obviously doesn’t have Mori’s best interests at heart. But Kurosawa isn’t trying to destroy Mori. He just wants to ignite the boy’s intense potential, no matter who it hurts.
For a brief, brilliant moment, Mori thought he had found his purpose in life, but after an unscrupulous reporter’s sensationalized article gets the climbing club canceled, he finds himself more at odds with the world than ever. With nothing left to lose, Mori agrees to go alpine climbing with Kurosawa, the very reporter who ruined everything, not caring that he obviously doesn’t have Mori’s best interests at heart. But Kurosawa isn’t trying to destroy Mori. He just wants to ignite the boy’s intense potential, no matter who it hurts.
Despite the tragedy and notoriety that marked Mori’s introduction to climbing, he is still obsessed with the allure of the mountains and determined to keep up with his grueling training plan—even if his minuscule budget means he needs to get creative. All the creativity in the world doesn’t end up being enough to fund an actual expedition, though, so when a rich adventurer offers him a spot on his ambitious K2 climbing team, Mori reluctantly accepts. Suddenly he’s got more new gear than he knows what to do with and an invitation to an amazing training climb in the Japanese Alps. But Mori’s joy at being in the mountains again is tempered by his knowledge that humans are more treacherous than any peak.
Despite the tragedy and notoriety that marked Mori’s introduction to climbing, he is still obsessed with the allure of the mountains and determined to keep up with his grueling training plan—even if his minuscule budget means he needs to get creative. All the creativity in the world doesn’t end up being enough to fund an actual expedition, though, so when a rich adventurer offers him a spot on his ambitious K2 climbing team, Mori reluctantly accepts. Suddenly he’s got more new gear than he knows what to do with and an invitation to an amazing training climb in the Japanese Alps. But Mori’s joy at being in the mountains again is tempered by his knowledge that humans are more treacherous than any peak.
Mori and the 14 Mountain assault team are more than a week into their complete traverse of the Japanese Alps, but bad weather and worse personalities are making the training seem harder than ascending K2 itself. After Mori is singled out for praise by the expedition leader, he finds himself pushed to the edges of the group as the team is beset by a series of increasingly terrible misfortunes. As conditions worsen, can the team pull together, or will it be each man for himself against the cold mercy of the mountains?
Mori and the 14 Mountain assault team are more than a week into their complete traverse of the Japanese Alps, but bad weather and worse personalities are making the training seem harder than ascending K2 itself. After Mori is singled out for praise by the expedition leader, he finds himself pushed to the edges of the group as the team is beset by a series of increasingly terrible misfortunes. As conditions worsen, can the team pull together, or will it be each man for himself against the cold mercy of the mountains?
The tragic deaths of his teammates in the northern Japanese Alps leave Mori reeling, but despite the devastating experience, his love of climbing has not been dimmed. His ability to handle other people has suffered, though, and it takes an incredible job offer to finally draw him back down into civilization. There, he finds everything is just as terrible as he left it. Will his new hopes for the future get snagged on the relentlessness of reality?
The tragic deaths of his teammates in the northern Japanese Alps leave Mori reeling, but despite the devastating experience, his love of climbing has not been dimmed. His ability to handle other people has suffered, though, and it takes an incredible job offer to finally draw him back down into civilization. There, he finds everything is just as terrible as he left it. Will his new hopes for the future get snagged on the relentlessness of reality?
Mori’s reunion with Miyamoto, his high school climbing partner, brings up a lot of memories. It also proves that people can always find new ways to be disappointing. Unwilling to make himself vulnerable like that again, Mori holes up alone in the Mount Fuji weather research station, ready to turn his back on the world. But after months of isolation, a chance encounter with a lost hiker changes the course of his life forever.
Mori’s reunion with Miyamoto, his high school climbing partner, brings up a lot of memories. It also proves that people can always find new ways to be disappointing. Unwilling to make himself vulnerable like that again, Mori holes up alone in the Mount Fuji weather research station, ready to turn his back on the world. But after months of isolation, a chance encounter with a lost hiker changes the course of his life forever.