Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the most easily climbed peaks in the world. This is due to many factors -
1. Its relatively smooth and steep slopes, best to prevent acclimatization
2. Its convenient height - not too high
3. The absence of frequent landslides, except directly near the Kibo peak
As a result, many thousands have scaled the Kilimanjaro since its peak was first conquered in 1887. Taking stock of everyone who has successfully performed the feat is impossible.
However, there have been many notable incidents related to scaling the Kilimanjaro.
The first successful expedition to scale the Kilimanjaro was the 4th trip made for the purpose. The achievement belongs to Hans Meyer, who scaled the Kibo peak in 1887 after three thwarted attempts over the previous forty years. In 1889, Hans Meyer repeated this feat, taking with him Ludwig Purtscheller and about 60 porters. This time, Meyer named the Kibo's summer "Kaiser Wilhem Spitze" - a name that Tanzanians were forced to accept as the country was then a German colony.
1912 saw a German duo, Oehler and Klute, scaling the Mawenzi peak - a feat Meyer had not achieved. In a "tribute" that sounds somewhat back-handed, they named the Mawenzi peak the "Hans Meyer Peak".
In 1914, Frau von Ruckteschell, again a German, became the first woman to conquer the Kibo peak. However, historians have also argued that Gertrude Emily Benham, a noted mountaineer and traveler, successfully climbed the Kibo peak in 1909, five years before Frau von Ruckteschell. This aspect of the Kilimanjaro's history still remains somewhat shrouded in mystery.
Without a doubt, though, the youngest person to climb the Kilimanjaro did so at the astonishingly young age of 7. This was a young boy named Keats Boyd, who has accomplished this as recently as January 2008, coming all the way from Los Angeles to do so.
By contrast, the oldest person to perform this feat is definitely Valtee Daniel, aged 87 at the time. However, the name in the Guinness Book for this record is not Daniel's, but that of one Carl Haupff, who was aged 79 when he scaled the peak. The reasons for this omission are not clear.
2001 saw the beginning of the speed demons on the Kilimanjaro. An Italian named Bruno Brunod sprinted up to Uhuru peak from Marangu gate, taking just 5hr, 38 min 40 sec. Some other claims of faster times remain unverified, for example Sean Burch's reported time of 5:28, or Christian Stangl's 5:36. After breaking the record for ascending the Kilimanjaro, Brunod clearly chose not to rest on his laurels, for he sprinted down in mountain in another 2 hours, 50 minutes 12 seconds.
Simon Mtuy, who runs the Summit Expeditions and Nomadic Experience trekking agency, seems to have taken Brunod's timing as a challenge. His total time for running up and down the peak stands at an awe-inspiring 8 hours and 27 minutes. He reached the peak from the Umbwe route, descending again to Mweka gate in just another 2 hours and 20 minutes after finishing his climb. In 2006, he also set a personal record for climbing the Kilimanjaro unaided, at 9 hours 19 minutes.
After Simon's daredevil exploits and Keats Boyd's jaw-dropping courage, who knows what records will be made on the Kilimanjaro next?
Climb Kilimanjaro . Specialists for Kilimanjaro and Meru Treks, Kilimanjaro by all routes: Marangu, Machame, Lemosho, Rongai, Shira, Umbwe.
