Mount Kilimanjaro 5,895m

Crowned by the now ever reducing snows, the mighty Kilimanjaro (19,340ft) is the highest free-standing mountain in the world and dominates its landscape unlike any other mountain. Located in Tanzania, this extinct volcano looms over five eco-systems and large game reserves and is certainly one of the world's most impressive sights. The terrain is nothing short of dramatic. As a mountaineering adventure this must be in the must do list of any person wishing to start mountain climbing or trekking.

Some commentators suggest that it is one of the most fascinating and diverse regions on earth, Kilimanjaro has attracted both climbers and nature enthusiasts with its magnetism. The ascent up this great peak is non-technical by nature and it affords a full mountaineering experience (with all the rigors and rewards) for those in strong physical condition. No prior climbing experience is required.

Kilimanjaro at 19,340’ is an extreme, high altitude climb and is perhaps the most underestimated of the seven summits. You should be comfortable walking 4-8 hours per day. Summit day is the most demanding portion of the climb, typically involving 8 hours for the ascent and 6-7 hours for the descent. Being in sound physical condition is the single most important aspect for climbers to maximize their climbing potential. The better your physical condition, the more likely you are to perform well and have an enjoyable experience. Additionally, inadequate fitness will affect the atmosphere, pace, and overall enjoyment of the climb for all participants. We highly recommend checking with your physician before undertaking any strenuous activity.

I summited Mount Kilimanjaro twice via the Barafu Ridge Route (29^th September 2008) and via the Western Breach (16^th September 2009). The Western Breach is the most difficult of all the ascending routes. In 2006 it claimed the lives of 3 climbers after a rock fall. KINAPA closed the route, however, since it has been re opened. Climbers will not be allowed to climb this route unless they sign a waiver declaration before embarking upon the Western Breach. Below is a video of the Western Breach from the Crater Rim. I recorded this footage of the Western Breach on the 16 September 2010 while waiting for my climbing buddy CG.

High altitude climbing clubs have criticised the Tanzanian authorities for charging fees for each day spent on the mountain. This can encourage climbers to climb rapidly to save time and money, while proper acclimatisation demands that delays are built in to any high climb.

Hurry up before the Snows of Kilimanjaro dissapear?

The ice and snow that cap majestic Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania are vanishing before our eyes.

If current conditions persist, climate change experts say, Kilimanjaro's world-renowned glaciers, which have covered Africa's highest peak for centuries, will be gone within the next two decades.

"In a very real sense, these glaciers are being decapitated from the surface down," said Lonnie Thompson, professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University. Thompson is co-author of a study on Kilimanjaro published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study's authors blame the disappearing ice on increases in global temperatures and diminished snowfall at Kilimanjaro's summit.

Previous studies of Kilimanjaro's glaciers have relied on aerial photographs to measure the rate of the retreating ice. For this new survey, scientists climbed the mountain and drilled deep into the glaciers to measure the volume of the ice fields atop the 19,331-foot (5,892-meter) peak.

The ice sheet that capped Kilimanjaro in 2007 was 85 percent smaller than the one that covered its plateau in 1912, paleoclimatologists explained in the study.

The mountain's ice cover shrank about 1 percent a year from 1912 to 1953, a rate that has accelerated in recent years. From 1989 to 2007, that rate jumped to 2.5 percent a year. Since 2000, the plateau's three remaining ice fields have shrunk by 26 percent, scientists found.

Thompson and his team of researchers have spent seven years measuring the glaciers of Kilimanjaro, whose snow-capped profile rises dramatically over the surrounding tropical plains.

Using 110 "porters," or local residents, they carried 6 tons of equipment to the mountain's plateau. Battling temperatures as low as 35 degrees below zero, and with very little oxygen, Thompson and his crew lived atop Kilimanjaro for nearly two months, drilling and collecting core ice samples buried thousands of feet below the glaciers' surface.

The new data shows that both the Northern and Southern ice fields atop Kilimanjaro have thinned dramatically in recent years, while the smaller Furtwangler Glacier shrank as much as 50 percent between 2000 and 2009.

As the glaciers break up into smaller pieces, more of the darker surface of the crater is exposed. This causes temperatures to rise on the mountain and accelerates the melting of the ice, scientists say.

"The shrinkage and ultimate disappearance of these glaciers will create tremendous ecological and social problems in the near future," said Doug Hardy, senior research fellow in the Climate Systems Research Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Hardy contributed research to the new study.

"The Kilimanjaro glaciers are indicators for a larger-scale process," Thompson said. "It's not just Kilimanjaro, it's every tropical glacier in Africa, in the tropical Andes of South America, it's the glaciers in New Guinea. We are losing all those glaciers in today's world."

A snowless Mount Kilimanjaro also could have economic effects.

Kilimanjaro is a tourist attraction and a crucial revenue generator for Tanzania, one of the world's poorest counties. A study published by the Overseas Development Institute in January estimated that 35,000 to 40,000 people visit Kilimanjaro every year, spending almost $50 million annually in the country.

I climbed the Western Breach on the 16 September 2009 and stood next to the furtwangler glacier. The photo below is a picture of the furtwangler glacier taken on the 16 September 2009 on my way to the summit.