OMG she's climbing Kilimanjaro

[ThatsHowItIs]

My DD who is 21 is to do this in July. Its an organised charity trek.

AIBU to believe this is not just a hike in the hills but a really serious and potentially life threatening event?

Please tell me what she should take / how she should prepare / how she can avoid perishing on way up or down. I'm bloody terrified.

[Aermingers]

Make sure she takes her anti-malaria tablets. Cheryl Cole didn't and caught it.

[shewept]

A group did this from my office. July sounds quick though, it's tough going by all accounts but definitely worth it.

Surely the charity will give them all the information they need on what to take.

[Horsemad]

I know somebody who is fairly fit and didn't complete it due to altitude sickness.

[OvertiredandConfused]

Some details here and training ideas are here. Minimum training period is eight weeks.

Which charity is she supporting? And who is the trek organiser (the company I mean)? I have used a few of them over my years in the charity sector and they are very good at taking care of participants.

[OrlandoWoolf]

Does she do walking normally?

Biggest threat is altitude sickness and rushing it. I have been to Nepal in the Everest region. I was on my own and not in a rush. I saw plenty of people on organised, time limited trips who ignored the signs and wanted to carry on despite feeling ill.

It's not climbing as far as I am aware. No ropes or specialist equipment.

[BarbarianMum]

Kilimanjaro is a tricky one as it's a 'stand alone' mountain rather than part of a range, so acclimatisation is done during the ascent.

Anti-malarials (together with a mosquito net and DEET) are essential for East Africa - and she must keep taking the anti-malarials for the required period once back.

But honestly, at 21 and with an organised charity - it'll be fine.

[theyoniwayisnorthwards]

It's fine, I grew up in East Africa and every year my school took a group of teenagers to climb it. My mother did it with a group of friends in her 40s and got to the top, my father who was much fitter didn't make it because of altitude sickness. It's not climbing, it's not life threatening but it is a bit gruelling. Very important to train enough to be fit and to be sun safe, worst injuries I have heard of in my network are sunburn and eye damage from not wearing sunglasses. And to tip the guides and porters properly.

[bookishandblondish]

Look at the kit lists that companies like Explore/ Exodus produce - they are pretty good. You can hire sleeping bags but you do need a good 4 season bag and decent waterproofs. Boots are needed - it may be fine, but one of the reasons why people go down is twisted/ sprained ankles.
Don't stint on the kit - on my second day it went from bright blue skies and t-shirts to hail/snow/ lightening in less than two minutes.

It is well regulated ( porters have weight restrictions) but there are about 30 deaths per year.

By the way, the tip given to me for training was to use the stair master and do weights ( squats and lunges galore).

[theyoniwayisnorthwards]

Should take anti-malarials but don't worry too much, TBH malaria is rarely life threatening if you have access to good healthcare, Cheryl Cole was really unlucky.
I've only had it twice in 18 years of living in the region and we stopped taking anti malaria pills after the first two years. I would also suggest getting a malaria test there before she leaves if she feels at all unwell, in my experience medical professionals in the region are much better and more experienced about diagnosing and treating malaria.

[SaBearOz]

I have climbed it although got altitude sickness and started the final day at midnight and quickly became delirious and was vomiting- guides quickly took me down to safety . If she goes with a reputable company it will be a great experience-
They are experienced to identify the risks of altitude sickness. It's tougher than some others (my DP has also done Everest base camp and says this frequently) as it's a quicker climb. Fitness plays little part (although being as fit as possible is really helpful). Try and take the other routes up apart from the coca cola route as is quite crowded. My parents did it before children and my family did it again for my dad's 60th- he wanted to reclaim his youth

[PanGalaticGargleBlaster]

Its not a technical mountain, rather a long slog, acclimatization (or lack of) and basic fitness will be the key factors that determine a successful summit attempt. Thousands of people of all ages climb it every year. Might be worth finding out what route she is going up and how many days the trekking company intend to complete the ascent in, some operators try and rush climbers up the peak in four days rather than the standard five days or more ascent. Its a pretty dirty mountain insofar as the designated campsites turning into large open air toilets in the high season, make sure she carries some handwash gel with her as it is very easy to get an upset stomach/shits on the mountain.

[BarbarianMum]

^^Sorry, had to jump on this. Celebral malaria can come on very quickly and ia absolutely life-threatening if you are not already taking anti-malarials. My idiot boyfriend (not taking anything) went from feeling slightly queasy at 2pm to collapsing at 3pm (luckily we were visiting doctor friends at the hospital) and very nearly died. Had we been any distance from a good hospital (something that you almost always are) he wouldn't have made it. I've had malaria 3 times (including 1 bout with celebral) so am not unduly "fussy" about it in general.

[Sandinmyshoes]

I did this last year. Agree with PP regarding squats galore! I was pretty unfit before I started training (started about this time of year)... I did stairclimbing (real stairs better than stairmaster if you can) and lots of squats and lunges and can honestly say my legs did not ache once. Take the time get boots fitted properly (they should be a size bigger)... I did and not one blister (other experienced hikers who thought I was being OTT getting a proper fitting lost toenails and got blisters). Cardio fitness/stamina and a strong mind will get her through.

The guides (who are amazing) won't let you continue if you are too sick - most deaths are from independent climbers ascending too fast or porters (doing the same). Most of our group got sick at some point. Again I didn't but I took a very slow pace which helps. I also took altitude sickness tablets preventatively (it's a widely debated topic, works for some and not others).

My personal view is that anyone who has the chance to climb Kilimanjaro should. I got to know myself very well on that mountain and came back a changed woman in terms of how I felt about myself and what I wanted from life. I wish I had done it at 21 instead of 38, I think my life would have been very different if I had.

We did Machame route... if she is doing that it's a great choice. Best for acclimatization and the most varied scenery. It's also the guides' favourite route :-)

[MyCatIsAGit]

Friend did this for her 40th, she was really quite fit at the time, but nearly didn't finish due to altitude sickness. There were other very fit people who got altitude sickness and had to come down - sharpish.

If she's with a group and they all keep an eye on each other for signs, she should be fine. Have to keep hydrated and eat lots.

[WhiffleSqueak]

I knew a heavy smoker who managed it. she said her lungs had been strengthened by years of abuse... joker.

is it for Helen and Douglas House by an chance? I know they're running a climb up there and it's an amazing cause. my nephew passed away there very peacefully after a short illness. they do amazing work.

[bookishandblondish]

By the way, my bizarre tip is to load the tea/coffee with sugar. A lot of people struggle to eat (altitude) so loading the calories does help.

For what it's worth, I did it after having E. coli followed by salmonella and was fine. But I was really fit before I got ill and I did force myself to eat.