Category: Mount Kilimanjaro

Highlighting Noel Odell, the last person to actually see Mallory and Irvine climb towards the summit of Everest on that fateful day that they disappeared. The 100th anniversary of a well-known mystery in mountaineering is being commemorated this year: did George Mallory and Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine reach the top of Everest on 8 June 1924? Geologist Noel Odell last spotted them high on the mountain, with Mallory appearing to still have the strength to continue towards the summit. However, they disappeared into the clouds and were never seen again. Mallory's remains were discovered in 1999, but the mystery of whether they reached the summit remains unsolved due to the lack of conclusive evidence. Even earlier on as Mallory and Irvine struggled to put on their heavy oxygen masks, expedition geologist Noel Odell took their picture. At 22, Irvine calmly watched while Mallory adjusted his mask. At 8:40 a.m., the pair left with eight Tibetan porters for Camp V. The next morning, with just four porters, they pushed on to Camp VI near the summit. They left notes for other expedition members at Camp IV before moving. Facing numerous challenges en route, the climbers were last seen moving quickly toward the summit ridge. Odell, well-acclimatized to the altitude, was out looking for them when he saw a small black spot on the snowmaking progress. He could tell even from a distance that it was Mallory and Irvine. Unfortunately, they did not return to Camp VI as anticipated and were never seen again. Their disappearance raised many questions and led to speculation for decades. In the mid-1990s, Jochen Hemmleb became obsessed with locating Mallory and Irvine's remains. He sought to remove the layers of myth and speculation to solve the mystery. His findings and conclusions provided insight and brought about the start

Karl Egloff, a Swiss-Ecuadorian, holds the record for the fastest ascent on Kilimanjaro when made an impressive climb of Kilimanjaro on 13th August 2014, completing the ascent in 4 hours and 56 minutes. This surpassed the previous record set by Kilian Jornet, who had achieved the climb in 5 hours and 23 minutes the year before. Like Kilian, Karl took the route from Umbwe Gate to Uhuru via the Western Breach and then descended to Mweka Gate. After a brief 4-minute rest at the summit, he descended to the park gate in 1 hour and 42 minutes, totalling a remarkable 6 hours and 42 minutes for the entire ascent and descent. But that wasn't the end of it. Karl then made his way back down to the gate in an astonishing time of 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 24 seconds. You can witness Karl’s incredible climb by clicking on this link to Karl Egloff’s world-record ascent. It normally takes between 5 days to 9 days to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, with the 5-day Marangu Route being the shortest time offered by most Kilimanjaro trekking companies and the 9 days Northern Circuit Route being the longest time you use to climb Kilimanjaro via the Northern Circuit Route. Now imagining these climbers doing both the ascent and descent in just a few hours, is mind-boggling, because Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in the whole of the African continent. The most recent three attempts to climb and descend Kilimanjaro have followed the same plan - a direct ascent up the challenging Umbwe route, followed by a run down the designated descent route, Mweka. Fortunately, climbing Kilimanjaro does not require technical skills or equipment; the summit can be reached using steep trails while avoiding sheer cliffs. The record-setters reached the top with minimal gear,

Nobody remembers Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans, because  Sir Edmund Hillary's story of May 29, 1953, becoming the first person to reach Mount Everest's summit overshadows theirs.  However, a fascinating historical occurrence took place just three days earlier. On May 26, 1953, Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans, the primary climbing team in the expedition led by Hunt, were within 100 meters (328 feet) of Everest's summit. Due to exhaustion, they turned back and descended without reaching the peak. It's incredible to think that they were just the length of a football field away from their goal. Exhaustion can be a powerful force. Three days after, Hillary and Norgay achieved what Bourdillon and Evans had been unable to: they made it to the summit. This news reached London on the morning of June 2, coinciding with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. As a result of their success, Hunt and Hillary were knighted in the Order of the British Empire (KBE) while Norgay, a subject of the King of Nepal, was awarded the George Medal. Bourdillon and Evans were both accomplished climbers. Tragically, Bourdillon lost his life at the age of 32 in a climbing accident in Switzerland, while Evans went on to be an educator in Wales until his passing in 1995 at the age of 78. Despite their pioneering achievement in reaching a previously unattained height, neither of them received recognition for their remarkable efforts. The meeting of The Physiological Society at the National Hospital, Queen Square, in December 1953 included morning demonstrations of equipment used in the Mount Everest ascent that year. The equipment was demonstrated by three individuals associated with the expedition in various ways. The people involved were Robert Bourdillon, J. E. Cotes, and L. G. C. E (Griff) Pugh. They were all employees of the

Ang Dorje (Chhuldim) Sherpa, a renowned Nepalese mountaineering guide, climber, and porter hailing from Pangboche, Nepal, has an impressive record of having conquered the summit of Mount Everest a staggering 23 times. In the spring of 1996, Ang Dorje served as the climbing Sirdar for Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants expedition to Everest. Unfortunately, this expedition was marred by an unexpected and catastrophic storm that claimed the lives of eight climbers from multiple expeditions, etching itself as one of the most tragic disasters in the annals of Everest mountaineering. Today, in a remarkable display of skill and determination, Chhuldim Ang Dorjee Sherpa, a Nepali American climber, led a group from Adventure Consultant to successfully summit Everest for the 23rd time. This feat was achieved at approximately 4:55 am, as confirmed by Iswari Paudel, Managing Director at Himalayan Guides. Undoubtedly, Ang Dorjee's unparalleled achievement on Everest continues to be an awe-inspiring testament to his unwavering prowess in the world of mountaineering. Chhuldim Ang Dorjee Sherpa from Nepal and the USA, Robert Ocampo from the USA, Jonathan Anderton from Australia, Neil Long from the UK, and Finn Ghent from Australia, along with Chhewang Dorjee Sherpa, Sanduk Dorjee Tamang, Tenji Sherpa, Tashi Thundu Sherpa, Chhebi Bhote, Pasang Rinji Sherpa, Rita Dorjee Sherpa, Pemba Chhewang Sherpa, and Temba Bhote successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest. They accomplished this feat at 4:55am, as informed by Paudel. Additionally, participants from Himalayan Guides, such as Ram Chawla from the UK, Robert Kelso Smith from Ireland, Pasang Bhote, Pasang Anju Bhote, and Dawa Tshering Sherpa, also stood at the peak of Everest at 6:21am. Siddhi Bahadur Tamang achieved the same feat at approximately 5:35am, according to Paudel's statement. His life has been filled with close encounters with death, particularly the recent season where a dozen climbers lost their

Born in 1959, Michael Graeme Groom OAM is a well-known Australian mountaineer. Notably, in 1995, he achieved the impressive feat of reaching the summits of the five highest peaks in the world - Makalu, Lhotse, Kangchenjunga, K2, and Everest - without using bottled oxygen. This accomplishment is made even more remarkable by the fact that in 1987, Groom suffered severe frostbite, resulting in the loss of the front third of his feet after descending from the summit of Kangchenjunga. Nevertheless, this setback did not deter Groom, as he went on to summit Mount Everest in both 1993 and 1996. In addition to these achievements, he has also successfully completed the Seven Summits, which are the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. Groom's expertise as a mountaineer led him to serve as a guide for Adventure Consultants during the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, an experience he later detailed in his 1997 autobiography. This event was further immortalized in the 2015 film "Everest" where Groom was portrayed by actor Tom Wright. In recognition of his contributions to mountaineering, Groom was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2000 Australia Day Honors. In 1996, a team of climbers consisting of professionals and paying clients embarked on a mission to conquer the world's highest mountain, Mt Everest. Tragically, during their ascent, they were caught in a severe blizzard, resulting in the loss of eight members of the expedition. Among these brave souls were two Australians, namely experienced guide Michael Groom and his client, John Taske. Several weeks following this devastating incident, both individuals shared their harrowing experience during the ill-fated climb in an interview with the program "60 Minutes." Dr. John Taske, seen here in a photograph captured in 1996, stood as the sole surviving Australian from the