Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is not an easy feat. Of the seven summits, it is the most easily accessible, but it is still difficult. Furthermore, your body has to acclimate to the lack of oxygen as you slowly ascend the Mountain. This is not something you can rush. Your body can be fine one day and struggle the next. With this in mind, Peak Planet has built in many layers of safety for our client. We want everyone to be as free from danger as possible.
Safety is Paramount.
Let’s go into more detail how we make your climb safe.
- Our Guides: We have hired and trained only the most experienced guides. Most of them have more than a decade of guide experience on Mount Kilimanjaro. Each of them has climbed Kilimanjaro over 20 times a year and summited well over 100 times. With this experience, they have learned the signs and symptoms of what to watch for so our clients are safe and healthy.
- Training: We have partnered with European-based IFREMMONT to work with us to build a solid foundation of medical procedures and evacuation protocols.
Who is IFREMMONT? Created in 2005, IFREMMONT, is a project funded by the Rhône Alpes Region and the European Community. They were created to help train, educate and innovate all aspects of high altitude mountaineering. They are world’s foremost authority on mountain medicine and procedures. Read more here: http://www.ifremmont.com/qui-sommes-nous.php - Wilderness First Responder Certified: All of our guides are Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certified. This is a Western standard for guiding. What is a WFR certification? The WFR course is typically a 72 to 80-hour long course that takes up to 10 days to complete. Graduates are given the skills necessary to deal with: Response and Assessment, Musculoskeletal Injuries, Environmental Emergencies and Survival Skills, Soft Tissue Injuries, and Medical Emergencies. They also receive advanced CPR training. In short, they have the skills to be an EMT in the wilderness where help is far away. Here is an example of the WFR course outline: https://www.nols.edu/media/filer_public/be/0d/be0da7bd-e8e2-4e49-bb54-3467c39be19a/wfr_schedule_november_2016.pdf
- GPS Tracking: The Garmin InReach GPS device allows us to track our clients. In case of emergency, this device allows our guides to immediately text (both sending and receiving) our base of operations. There are only a few locations on the mountain that receive cell service, but the InReach works everywhere. The guide will text our Operations Manager to have a medical evacuation team scrambled to the evacuation zone. Our Mountain Crew will carry the injured or sick person down to where they can be evacuated either by vehicle or helicopter.
- Kilimanjaro SAR Evacuation Insurance: Our clients are automatically covered by Kilimanjaro SAR Evacuation Insurance. Kilimanjaro SAR has helicopters on standby at the Wilson Airport in Nairobi. In case of a severe accident or life-threatening emergency, they are able to helicopter the person to several different hospitals. Which hospital depends on the nature of the injury or sickness.
- Client to Guide Ratio: We have a two to one client to guide ratio. If a client cannot make the summit for a variety of reasons, a guide will accompany them back down. We will not leave you alone on the Mountain. The rest of the group can continue to make their summit attempt. One Summit night we have a one-to-one ratio by having our senior porters summit with you.
- Health Checks: We perform health checks each day of your climb. We log your stats. We use a Pulse-ox to measure your blood oxygen saturation. Our guide also carries a stethoscope to listen to your heart and lungs. We also check your temperature.
- Oxygen: Our guides carry emergency oxygen on every climb. Additionally, we are one of the few companies that rent ALTOX, a personal oxygen system. Read more here: https://peakplanet.com/high-quality-equipment-service/
- Emergency equipment: Our crew carries a portable stretcher and medical kits.
- Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP): Peak Planet is a member of KPAP. This organization is responsible for monitoring the treatment of the porters on the Mountain. Our porters and guides are educated and are treated well. Because of this, they are a happy and helpful crew that you’ll quickly become friends with.
Food
In addition to the safety protocols we have in place, we also offer three hot meals a day designed specifically for high altitude trekking. They help prevent loss of energy as you hike each day. Finally, we recommend bringing snacks that you can eat along the trail. They can be energy bars, gels, energy chews, trail mix, nuts, etc.
As a result, if you climb with Peak Planet you can rest assured, you will be in good hands.
If you still aren’t a believer, check out what our past clients have said: https://peakplanet.com/testimonials/
If you want to read more about our safety protocols, go here: https://peakplanet.com/new-climb-peak-planet/safety-and-rescue/
