Climbing Kilimanjaro

Nick Pedley said:

I have just been offered the chance to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in January 2006
as a fundraising event on behalf of my employers and their chosen charity,
Whizz Kidz. To do this I would need to raise £2500 by November, same as the
other 2 in our team.

I have seen http://www.lakedistrictwalks.com/kilimanjaro/ which is a great
help but would love to hear any thoughts on my planned venture,
particularly...
Raising that amount of cash in such a short time,

Can't help on this :-(

Quoted message said:

Fitness levels needed,

If you can do what might be thought of as a good day out in Scotland
(to take a random example, the 5 Sisters of Kintail), or English/Welsh
equivalent, you'll be more than fit enough for Kili. The problem is
altitude - how individuals react to this is quite independent of
fitness. Tour companies which do an acclimatisation trip first (some
do Mt Meru which is c. 15000 ft and not far from Kili) claim a much
higher success rate for Kili than those that don't (and Meru is a
pleasant expedition in its own right). Also best to allow 6 days not 5
for Kili itself.
Summit day is a long one (00:00 to 16:30 when I did it, inc. about 3
hrs rest) - might be worth doing a similar length of trip beforehand
if this worries you. (I didn't bother)

Quoted message said:

Cost of inoculations and which ones,

Can't remember details but advice varies from year to year anyway so
ask your local GP surgery for advice. IIRC the only slightly expensive
one was malaria prophylaxis c. £40 I think - there are several options
which are all effective against malaria, but the less you pay the
nastier the potential side-effects. The other innoculations were free
or minimal cost.

Quoted message said:

Anything else?

What you'd wear for the above-mentioned day in Scotland will be fine
for Kili, bearing in mind that it can be pretty cold (well below
freezing) as you get near the top, and altitude makes you feel the
cold more.
If you're into botany Kili is fascinating.
Enjoy the trip!

Quoted message said:

Nick

--

John

Hi,

John Abramson john@ said:

equivalent, you'll be more than fit enough for Kili. The problem is
altitude - how individuals react to this is quite independent of
fitness. Tour companies which do an acclimatisation trip first (some

I doubt that. Better fitness means better efficiency with the oxygene available,
doesn't it? Plus being able to go at a higher heart rate for a longer time. So a
fit person should do a bit better.

Though I agree with the acclimatisation, of course.

R

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Quoted message said:

Hi,

John Abramson john@ said:

equivalent, you'll be more than fit enough for Kili. The problem is
altitude - how individuals react to this is quite independent of
fitness. Tour companies which do an acclimatisation trip first (some

I doubt that.

It is true - more fitness does not mean a person will acclimatise
quicker or better than less fit people. If both acclimatise the same
then the fitter person will find it easier but that may or may not
happen. People react differently to altitude and can even react
differently each time.

--

Dominic Sexton

Dominic Sexton said:

It is true - more fitness does not mean a person will acclimatise
quicker or better than less fit people. If both acclimatise the same
then the fitter person will find it easier but that may or may not
happen. People react differently to altitude and can even react
differently each time.

I can vouch for that - I was most upset on my first Alp[s trip when I
was by far the fittest person there, yet suffered most from altitude.
I tried rationalising it by saying that being fittest, I was most used
to walking quickly, and at altitude slow-but-steady is best, so I wore
myself out. Subsequent high-level trips proved this wrong, and even
not-so-high level - I used to suffer from as little as 8-9000 feet.

For some reason, my last couple of seasons I've coped a lot better,
I've no idea why. I'm certainly no fitter than I used to be.

S.

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Your expedition will no doubt be subcontracted to a local outfitter in
Tanzania. You should consider the route you'll be taking and the
duration of the ascent. If they try to cut corners you won't have time
to acclimatise properly and may well end up disappointed you didn't
make the summit.
The weather will be ideal in January - you'll see little if any rain
and can walk in shorts and tee shirt or maybe a light fleece more or
less to the highest camp at around 15500ft although the nights are
somewhat cooler - after that it gets a bit cold!
Take plenty of fluids on board (3-4 litres/day) - wear a pair of
comfortable boots, and don't forget the malaria tabs. You WILL notice
some effects of altitude - it's inevitable at 19000ft - just cross your
fingers you don't react badly. Once you get to the top don't assume the
descent will be easy - it's not. The altitude sickness got to me as we
came to descend and I found coming down the upper scree slopes the
hardest part of the trek as my legs turned to jelly!
Having said that, if you take it on you'll be left with unforgettable
memories.
Good luck.

Thanks to all for suggestions. Unfortunately I do not plan to take part in
this event this time on the grounds that I cannot see a realistic way to
raise £3000 in 3 months.
I have since learnt that the trip was first planned in March by 3 others, 2
of whom have pulled out due to leaving the company.
I have not ruled out the possibility of doing this event in the future but
with more time to raise the funds.

Nick