Yuji Emoto, a professional international mountain guide, has announced a project to summit K2, the world's second highest peak at 8,611 meters, without oxygen tanks, and then descend by paraglider. A crowdfunding campaign has begun to support this challenge
Emoto is the only Japanese participant in the Red Bull X-Alps, a 10-day, 1,800km race by foot and paragliding, held in 2023, and successfully completed this grueling race, which is said to have a completion rate of just 10%
"This experience (Redbull X-Alps) reminded me of the dream I had almost forgotten, the preparation to make that dream come true, and the drive to take on a challenge. By experiencing these things once again, I was able to rediscover my desire to take on new challenges."
Quote from the crowdfunding page
He continued, "I decided to take on this challenge, rather than the once-every-two-years Redbull X-Alps, because I wanted to take on a challenge that would allow me to come face-to-face with the mountains and nature."
The funds raised through crowdfunding will be used to cover mountain climbing fees, travel expenses, equipment costs, and video editing costs.
The rewards vary depending on the amount of support, and include an online report session about the challenge, information sharing during the climb (GPS location information), and even a paragliding experience on Mont Blanc in France.
Crowdfunding is open until May 31st. Become a part of Team Japan Emoto and support his challenge
Profile
Emoto Yuji
As an alpine skier, he studied abroad in France alone at the age of 16, and after his career as an athlete, he enrolled in ENSA (French National Ski Mountaineering School) and obtained both mountain guide and ski instructor qualifications. In 2018, he opened Guesthouse Zutton Hakuba in his beloved Hakuba (Happo)
[Qualifications] UIAGM International Mountain Guide, French National Qualification Mountain Guide, French National Qualification Ski Instructor