Climbing Kilimanjaro
I arrived at the first night’s campsite ten minutes behind the porters and just ahead of the main group of trekkers. It was raining heavily and the ground was rapidly turning into a quagmire. Only the large dining tent had been pitched and the porters were huddled inside. Who could blame them? It was chilly and wet outside. One by one, the trekkers trooped in and joined the porters in the marquee. Within moments, it was standing room only, like a tube train at Oxford Circus in rush hour.
Action needed to be taken and fast; only a limited amount of daylight remained. Grabbing a tent bag, I cajoled the occupants of the dining tent to join me out in the maelstrom. Thankfully, volunteers were forthcoming and in no time, we had all of the tents up. Shortly afterwards, every trekker was safely ensconced in dry sleeping quarters. (The porters slept dormitory-style in the dining and cooking tents.) The group had met the first challenge and passed. We would face other hurdles before we could start to think about going for the summit, but the poor weather had created an opportunity to start to build a united team and we had seized it.
Going to extremes
If you’re heading for Kilimanjaro, you’ll want to be prepared for all manner of meteorological conditions. That’s because an ascent involves moving through several different climatic zones, all the way from subtropical to alpine. If you’ve seen An Inconvenient Truth, you could be forgiven for thinking that the mountain is always snow-free these days. Not so. This dormant volcano may
not require much in the way of technical climbing or glacier-crossing skills, but snow-covered trails and sub-zero temperatures on summit day are common. At the other end of the scale, be ready for heat and humidity on the first day. Long-sleeved, fast-drying and, above all, cool and lightweight attire is ideal.
Of course, if you were on a vehicle-based expedition (with a generous baggage allowance) and visiting numerous regions around the world, then it would be possible to pack several different outfits. But on Kilimanjaro, the amount of clothing and equipment each individual can take is limited. Even if you are on a porter-supported trek, there will be a maximum weight equal to or less than the luggage allowed on your international flight to Tanzania. And every gram of kit that you pack that is over and above the amount carried by your porter will need to be shouldered by yourself.
While poring over your gear on your bedroom floor at sea level prior to departure, it’s easy to think that a couple of extra kilograms of gear in your daysack will make no difference to the final result on summit day. However, the truth is that the seeds of a successful or disappointing outcome on Kilimanjaro are often sewn in the months, weeks and days before departure. Climbing to altitudes above 3,000 metres is a stressful physiological experience for the human body, and strapping on a heavy rucksack only adds to the pressure on your system.
Of course, there are several key items that you will want to keep on your person during the day. Essential medications, suncream, a warm top, waterproof clothing and a lightweight camera find their way into most people’s daysacks. A sun hat and a warm hat, a map or guidebook, a whistle and a trekking pole or two are also worth carrying.
You will need to drink plenty of water each day. Hydration bladders with straws are fine lower down on the volcano, but on summit day, a traditional aluminium or plastic bottle swaddled inside a proprietary or homemade foam sheath is preferable as the contents will be less prone to freezing.
By far the most useful piece of kit that I’ve carried on Kilimanjaro is a small telescopic umbrella. No matter how ‘breathable’ modern fabrics are supposed to be, sometimes it’s just too hot and sticky to wear waterproofs during thunderstorms. A lightweight umbrella helps to keep you reasonably dry and cool. In bright, hot sunshine, it can also provide a modicum of shade, especially during lunch breaks.
Sleep easy
And so to the gear being carried by your porter. A sleeping bag with a reasonable amount of filling to keep you warm at between –10°C and –15°C is essential. Is natural down insulation or a synthetic fibre preferable? Either is suitable; your choice will depend upon what you already own or your budget.
A sleeping mat is also vital. If you can justify the price, a self-inflating model will provide mattress-like comfort. However, these designs can be ruptured. The same can’t be said for closed-cell foam mats, which are water-, puncture- and tear-resistant. Although a closed-cell foam mat will provide insulation under your sleeping bag, it won’t be as comfortable as a self-inflating version.
I also carry a small and highly compressible pillow because, over the years, I’ve become fed up with waking in a cramped tent with a crooked neck. You’ll almost certainly be sharing a tent with a fellow trekker on Kilimanjaro, so a set of inexpensive earplugs could be worth their weight in gold.
I always pack a book to read but rarely find the time to finish it: there are too many interesting conversations to be had with staff and trekkers.
As far as clothing is concerned, I take a minimum of two lightweight base layers: one for wearing during the day, and one for wearing at night after I’ve had a body wash with a flannel. If I can justify the weight, a third top might be a quick-drying, looser-fitting shirt for wearing lower down on the mountain in the humid conditions I mentioned earlier. You can wear a regular pair of unlined trekking trousers for use at lower altitudes and swap these for a pair of fleece pants at higher elevations. Or you can marry the trekking trousers with a set of base-layer long johns made from polyester or merino wool.
Summit day begins in the middle of the night, so a lightweight duvet jacket to ward off the initial chill is a good idea. But after 20 minutes or so, you will more than likely have built up sufficient body heat to relegate the duvet to your daysack. It may re-emerge at rest breaks during the hours of darkness, when you reach the crater rim shortly before sun-up, and on the summit.
A head torch is a vital piece of kit. These products are becoming lighter, more powerful and less battery-thirsty each season. However, by focusing on the night ascent, it’s easy to forget the subsequent long and tiring descent in full daylight: remember to carry suncream and a sun hat.
It isn’t just trekkers who need the right gear
Responsible trekkers choose to use the services of reputable organisations that equip their staff with an adequate amount of practical clothing and footwear, as well as essential extras such as sunglasses. It’s easy to assume that all porters on Kilimanjaro are experienced mountain people who are permanently acclimatised, but this isn’t always the case. Inexperienced local individuals are sometimes hired, and it’s often a case of ‘sink or swim’; they will be struggling with the altitude just like you and me, but with the added burden of a large load.
Even as clients, we all have a responsibility to keep our eyes and ears open. If porters fall sick, are injured or simply can’t stand the pace, they will be dismissed from the party. But will these individuals be accompanied down to a safe elevation, or be left to fend for themselves? It can feel awkward to step in and say something, but any person abandoned on a mountain can rapidly become a statistic.
Maximise your chance of reaching the summit
Every year, I speak to people who’ve tried to stagger up Kilimanjaro. For the vast majority, the reason for their acute discomfort or failure has nothing to do with fitness or determination and everything to do with a rapid gain in altitude.
The summit of Kilimanjaro lies at 5,895 metres. This is a significant altitude (higher than the traditional base camp sites on major Himalayan mountains), yet many commercial adventure companies and charity trek organisations offer incredibly short ascents of Africa’s highest peak. Some clients find that they spend as few as four nights on the mountain before starting out for the summit.
In comparison, a sensible acclimatisation schedule from Lukla to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal would take around 12 days. To squeeze this into four days would be nothing short of life-threatening. Why, then, is a similarly rapid programme attempted by so many people on Kilimanjaro? And if it’s dangerous to ascend so quickly, why do more people not end up in a Tanzanian hospital ward or on a mortuary slab?
The main reason is that unlike the trek to Everest (which covers a reasonable amount of horizontal distance every day), Kilimanjaro involves many fewer kilometres of trekking. Therefore, when someone begins to fall ill from the altitude and the symptoms are recognised, she or he can be rapidly frogmarched or carried down the mountain to a lower altitude in a matter of a few hours. Dropping as little as 500 metres can promote a spontaneous recovery in a moderately ill person, although an immediate re-ascent isn’t advisable. For people with more advanced symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS), an evacuation to the foot of the mountain may well be required, by which time hospitalisation is often unnecessary due to the low altitude that has been reached.
Even if you fall victim to AMS and subsequently make a complete recovery, this is no way to spend your money or your vacation time. Surely it makes more sense to acclimatise prior to attempting Kilimanjaro. This can be done by climbing part or all of the way up a nearby peak such as Mount Meru or Mount Kenya. In the case of the latter, an ascent of the so-called ‘trekking summit’ of Peak Lenana (4,985 metres) will prove to be more than adequate for the majority of people.
Acclimatising in this way allows you to experience a second mountain, prepare your body for the rigours of high altitude and dramatically improve the chance of a safe, successful and enjoyable summit bid on Africa’s highest peak.
Good luck!
Stockists and information
Blacks: 0800 214 890; www.blacks.co.uk
Black Diamond: 01629 580 484; www.firstascent.co.uk
Cotswold Outdoor: 0870 442 7755; www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
Divide & Conker: www.divideandconker.co.uk ; info@divideandconker.com
Eagle Creek: +353 21 462 1471; www.eaglecreek.com
Ellis Brigham: 0870 444 5555; www.ellis-brigham.com
Expedition Kit: 07970 782 929; www.expeditionkit.com
Extremities: 01773 837 373; www.terra-nova.co.uk
Field & Trek: 0844 800 1001; www.fieldandtrek.com
Itchy Feet: 01225 442 618; www.itchyfeet.com
Julbo: 01539 625 493; www.julbo-eyewear.com
Lowe Alpine: 01539 740 840; www.lowealpine.com
Meindl: +49 86 85 77 09; www.meindl.de/english
Mountain Equipment: 0161 366 5020; www.mountain-equipment.co.uk
Mountain Hardwear: 01572 724 499; www.mountainhardwear.com
Needlesports: 01768 772 227; www.needlesports.com
Nevisport: 0870 240 1344; www.nevisport.com
Outside: 01433 651 936; www.outside.co.uk
Peglers: 01903 885 244; www.peglers.co.uk
Sigg: 0116 234 4600; www.sigg.ch
Snow & Rock: 0845 100 1000; www.snowandrock.com
Tiso: 0131 554 9101; www.tiso.com
All prices quoted are recommended/suggested retail prices
July 2008
Action needed to be taken and fast; only a limited amount of daylight remained. Grabbing a tent bag, I cajoled the occupants of the dining tent to join me out in the maelstrom. Thankfully, volunteers were forthcoming and in no time, we had all of the tents up. Shortly afterwards, every trekker was safely ensconced in dry sleeping quarters. (The porters slept dormitory-style in the dining and cooking tents.) The group had met the first challenge and passed. We would face other hurdles before we could start to think about going for the summit, but the poor weather had created an opportunity to start to build a united team and we had seized it.
Going to extremes
If you’re heading for Kilimanjaro, you’ll want to be prepared for all manner of meteorological conditions. That’s because an ascent involves moving through several different climatic zones, all the way from subtropical to alpine. If you’ve seen An Inconvenient Truth, you could be forgiven for thinking that the mountain is always snow-free these days. Not so. This dormant volcano may
not require much in the way of technical climbing or glacier-crossing skills, but snow-covered trails and sub-zero temperatures on summit day are common. At the other end of the scale, be ready for heat and humidity on the first day. Long-sleeved, fast-drying and, above all, cool and lightweight attire is ideal.
Of course, if you were on a vehicle-based expedition (with a generous baggage allowance) and visiting numerous regions around the world, then it would be possible to pack several different outfits. But on Kilimanjaro, the amount of clothing and equipment each individual can take is limited. Even if you are on a porter-supported trek, there will be a maximum weight equal to or less than the luggage allowed on your international flight to Tanzania. And every gram of kit that you pack that is over and above the amount carried by your porter will need to be shouldered by yourself.
While poring over your gear on your bedroom floor at sea level prior to departure, it’s easy to think that a couple of extra kilograms of gear in your daysack will make no difference to the final result on summit day. However, the truth is that the seeds of a successful or disappointing outcome on Kilimanjaro are often sewn in the months, weeks and days before departure. Climbing to altitudes above 3,000 metres is a stressful physiological experience for the human body, and strapping on a heavy rucksack only adds to the pressure on your system.
Of course, there are several key items that you will want to keep on your person during the day. Essential medications, suncream, a warm top, waterproof clothing and a lightweight camera find their way into most people’s daysacks. A sun hat and a warm hat, a map or guidebook, a whistle and a trekking pole or two are also worth carrying.
You will need to drink plenty of water each day. Hydration bladders with straws are fine lower down on the volcano, but on summit day, a traditional aluminium or plastic bottle swaddled inside a proprietary or homemade foam sheath is preferable as the contents will be less prone to freezing.
By far the most useful piece of kit that I’ve carried on Kilimanjaro is a small telescopic umbrella. No matter how ‘breathable’ modern fabrics are supposed to be, sometimes it’s just too hot and sticky to wear waterproofs during thunderstorms. A lightweight umbrella helps to keep you reasonably dry and cool. In bright, hot sunshine, it can also provide a modicum of shade, especially during lunch breaks.
Sleep easy
And so to the gear being carried by your porter. A sleeping bag with a reasonable amount of filling to keep you warm at between –10°C and –15°C is essential. Is natural down insulation or a synthetic fibre preferable? Either is suitable; your choice will depend upon what you already own or your budget.
A sleeping mat is also vital. If you can justify the price, a self-inflating model will provide mattress-like comfort. However, these designs can be ruptured. The same can’t be said for closed-cell foam mats, which are water-, puncture- and tear-resistant. Although a closed-cell foam mat will provide insulation under your sleeping bag, it won’t be as comfortable as a self-inflating version.
I also carry a small and highly compressible pillow because, over the years, I’ve become fed up with waking in a cramped tent with a crooked neck. You’ll almost certainly be sharing a tent with a fellow trekker on Kilimanjaro, so a set of inexpensive earplugs could be worth their weight in gold.
I always pack a book to read but rarely find the time to finish it: there are too many interesting conversations to be had with staff and trekkers.
As far as clothing is concerned, I take a minimum of two lightweight base layers: one for wearing during the day, and one for wearing at night after I’ve had a body wash with a flannel. If I can justify the weight, a third top might be a quick-drying, looser-fitting shirt for wearing lower down on the mountain in the humid conditions I mentioned earlier. You can wear a regular pair of unlined trekking trousers for use at lower altitudes and swap these for a pair of fleece pants at higher elevations. Or you can marry the trekking trousers with a set of base-layer long johns made from polyester or merino wool.
Summit day begins in the middle of the night, so a lightweight duvet jacket to ward off the initial chill is a good idea. But after 20 minutes or so, you will more than likely have built up sufficient body heat to relegate the duvet to your daysack. It may re-emerge at rest breaks during the hours of darkness, when you reach the crater rim shortly before sun-up, and on the summit.
A head torch is a vital piece of kit. These products are becoming lighter, more powerful and less battery-thirsty each season. However, by focusing on the night ascent, it’s easy to forget the subsequent long and tiring descent in full daylight: remember to carry suncream and a sun hat.
Start the slideshow (10 pictures)
It isn’t just trekkers who need the right gear
Responsible trekkers choose to use the services of reputable organisations that equip their staff with an adequate amount of practical clothing and footwear, as well as essential extras such as sunglasses. It’s easy to assume that all porters on Kilimanjaro are experienced mountain people who are permanently acclimatised, but this isn’t always the case. Inexperienced local individuals are sometimes hired, and it’s often a case of ‘sink or swim’; they will be struggling with the altitude just like you and me, but with the added burden of a large load.
Even as clients, we all have a responsibility to keep our eyes and ears open. If porters fall sick, are injured or simply can’t stand the pace, they will be dismissed from the party. But will these individuals be accompanied down to a safe elevation, or be left to fend for themselves? It can feel awkward to step in and say something, but any person abandoned on a mountain can rapidly become a statistic.
Maximise your chance of reaching the summit
Every year, I speak to people who’ve tried to stagger up Kilimanjaro. For the vast majority, the reason for their acute discomfort or failure has nothing to do with fitness or determination and everything to do with a rapid gain in altitude.
The summit of Kilimanjaro lies at 5,895 metres. This is a significant altitude (higher than the traditional base camp sites on major Himalayan mountains), yet many commercial adventure companies and charity trek organisations offer incredibly short ascents of Africa’s highest peak. Some clients find that they spend as few as four nights on the mountain before starting out for the summit.
In comparison, a sensible acclimatisation schedule from Lukla to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal would take around 12 days. To squeeze this into four days would be nothing short of life-threatening. Why, then, is a similarly rapid programme attempted by so many people on Kilimanjaro? And if it’s dangerous to ascend so quickly, why do more people not end up in a Tanzanian hospital ward or on a mortuary slab?
The main reason is that unlike the trek to Everest (which covers a reasonable amount of horizontal distance every day), Kilimanjaro involves many fewer kilometres of trekking. Therefore, when someone begins to fall ill from the altitude and the symptoms are recognised, she or he can be rapidly frogmarched or carried down the mountain to a lower altitude in a matter of a few hours. Dropping as little as 500 metres can promote a spontaneous recovery in a moderately ill person, although an immediate re-ascent isn’t advisable. For people with more advanced symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS), an evacuation to the foot of the mountain may well be required, by which time hospitalisation is often unnecessary due to the low altitude that has been reached.
Even if you fall victim to AMS and subsequently make a complete recovery, this is no way to spend your money or your vacation time. Surely it makes more sense to acclimatise prior to attempting Kilimanjaro. This can be done by climbing part or all of the way up a nearby peak such as Mount Meru or Mount Kenya. In the case of the latter, an ascent of the so-called ‘trekking summit’ of Peak Lenana (4,985 metres) will prove to be more than adequate for the majority of people.
Acclimatising in this way allows you to experience a second mountain, prepare your body for the rigours of high altitude and dramatically improve the chance of a safe, successful and enjoyable summit bid on Africa’s highest peak.
Good luck!
Stockists and information
Blacks: 0800 214 890; www.blacks.co.uk
Black Diamond: 01629 580 484; www.firstascent.co.uk
Cotswold Outdoor: 0870 442 7755; www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
Divide & Conker: www.divideandconker.co.uk ; info@divideandconker.com
Eagle Creek: +353 21 462 1471; www.eaglecreek.com
Ellis Brigham: 0870 444 5555; www.ellis-brigham.com
Expedition Kit: 07970 782 929; www.expeditionkit.com
Extremities: 01773 837 373; www.terra-nova.co.uk
Field & Trek: 0844 800 1001; www.fieldandtrek.com
Itchy Feet: 01225 442 618; www.itchyfeet.com
Julbo: 01539 625 493; www.julbo-eyewear.com
Lowe Alpine: 01539 740 840; www.lowealpine.com
Meindl: +49 86 85 77 09; www.meindl.de/english
Mountain Equipment: 0161 366 5020; www.mountain-equipment.co.uk
Mountain Hardwear: 01572 724 499; www.mountainhardwear.com
Needlesports: 01768 772 227; www.needlesports.com
Nevisport: 0870 240 1344; www.nevisport.com
Outside: 01433 651 936; www.outside.co.uk
Peglers: 01903 885 244; www.peglers.co.uk
Sigg: 0116 234 4600; www.sigg.ch
Snow & Rock: 0845 100 1000; www.snowandrock.com
Tiso: 0131 554 9101; www.tiso.com
All prices quoted are recommended/suggested retail prices
July 2008
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