Deadly Western Breach

A recent blog from a Mountain Maddness climber talks about the difficulty of ascending via the Western Breach and the pitfalls of loose rock. We hear a lot about the dangers of altitude sickness, but one of the biggest problems on the Western Breach Route can be rock fall. I had a group of three climbers ascend it a few years back. They woke in the middle of the night to what sounded like thunder rolling down the mountain. They quickly realized it was boulders crashing toward them. One litterly bounced over their tent, missing them by a few meager feet.

A rock slide in 2006 killed three American climbers and injured several others. After this incident the route was closed for several months until the National Park Service opened a new route less prone to rock fall. Martha's report post last week leads me to believe there is still cause for concern.

The Western Breach Route has long been a goal of mine. The option to spend a night in the crater and get up close and personal with the glaciers is VERY tempting. But it is, by far, the most dangerous route on the mountain. Something to think about before booking!

Kilimanjaro water unsafe?

A recent backpacker returned from Kilimanjaro with water samples to test how well it was being filtered and treated on the mountain. In this case, the answer is not well at all! As a result a number of climbers became ill. While I'm only aware of a few cases where climbers got sick on the mountain (aside from altitude sickness), water quality is a serious issue on Kilimanjaro. On one climb I witnessed a porter urinating into the steam that was to be our water supply.

There are a few things you can do to protect yourself on the mountain. If you bring your own filter make sure you get your water far enough upstream to avoid any contamination from your own party. If the porters are providing all your water make sure to ask your guide how the water is being purified. Warn him that you've heard stories and do not want to get sick. The guides know sick clients mean lower tips and should take extra precautions with your water.

Kilimanjaro the most dangerous mountain?

Thanks to the Adventure Blog for bringing this one to our attention in a recent post. A recent report posted on grough website highlights a number of risks that make Kilimanjaro "one of the most dangerous mountains in the world." According to Dr Windsor, a UK member of the commission advising the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme "cold, dehydration and altitude cause between 50 and 75 per cent of would-be summiteers to turn back." He also lists electrocution, HIV/AIDS and car accidents as other reasons for classifying Kilimanjaro as so dangerous.

To start off, I'm very glad that someone acknowledges how dangerous Kilimanjaro can be. Many would-be climbers think of it as a simple walk up hill for a few days and too frequently visitors opt to save a few dollars and rush up the mountain rather than take a bit more time to acclimate properly. Regardless of the mountain, it's important to always respect it and know what the real risks are.

But I also have to call into question some of the good doctors statistics. I have heard everything from as low as 1 in 10 to as high as 9 in 10 climbers reach the summit. I suspect some of this depends on the route, time of year, outfitter, etc. Certainly the Marangu route has the lowest summit rate, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if his estimates of 50 and 75 percent turning back on this route is accurate. But historically we've see over 90% of clients summit via the longer (and thus better to acclimate) routes like Machame, Lemosho and Rongai.

The title of the article is Kilimanjaro: dangers galore on the summit trail but then goes into graphic detail about how to avoid HIV/AIDS as well as electrocution. I don't know how you get to the top of a mountain, but I've never seen an article about Everest or K2 warning about sex and faulty wiring. But maybe that's the point. Kilimanjaro seems so accessible that these more 'everyday' issues are a problem.