Charity Climbs

Charity climbs are part of a growing industry of adventure travel with a cause. It is big money with plenty of specialist companies competing for charity business - with adventure trips that range from dude ranches to sky-diving! As the top outfitter on Kilimanjaro, we are seeing an increase in requests to arrange charity climbs.

A charity climb is always exciting. Even from a distance one can differentiate the charity climbs from the rest! The climbers have good reason to be there and they certainly have good spirits on the mountain. It is a great experience for everyone involved - the climbers, the beneficiaries and the mountain team.

Or at least, it should be. On Kilimanjaro, however, we see a growing pattern of warning signs:

1. Organizers have limited budgets and outfitters are asked to offer climbs at very low costs. The lowest quote often wins and climbers find themselves on the mountain with huge teams of sometimes inexperienced guides and porters. Just imagine how hard it is to manage a group of 20-30 climbers with inexperienced mountain crews!

2. To raise more money, charity groups are getting larger (20 or more) and this creates problems on narrow trails such as the Western Breach. Long lines are forming at the scramble sections, causing those in the back of the line to get cold and impatient. A 6-hour climb can now take 8-9 hours. Stragglers often arrive in camp very late each day - catching the brunt of the bad afternoon weather.

3. A growing percentage of climbers are in no shape to climb Kilimanjaro. They get carried away by the emotion of the Cause and forget that the mountain should be taken very seriously. Unfortunately, there has been fatalities on charity treks and there will be more.  The combination of large groups with inexperienced guides and the additional pressure to succeed, is unsafe. Legally speaking, organizers could be held accountable if they did not take into consideration ALL the safety options, warnings and precautions.

4. In addition to the problems of larger, unprepared groups climbing with budget outfitters, charity climbs are getting shorter! To save costs, and to allow for less time off from work, organizers are hesitant to allow for extra acclimatization nights! You end up with large groups with many unfit people climbing too fast! We don't participate in unsafe climbs. For example, climbing the Western Breach and camping at the Crater on trips of less than 8 nights on the mountain is looking for trouble. In 2004, the Kiliwarriors had a 100% summit success rate! We know a thing or two about safe climbing!

5. Guides and Porters are asked to do more for less. It is a charity climb after all! Unfortunately, most porters and guides already work for minimum wages (some don't get paid at all) and we are asking too much of them. It makes no sense to benefit one group at the expense of another.

6. The environment is taking a big hit. There are no pit latrines at camps such as Fischer's and the Crater Camp. As a result, holes are used. As described elsewhere on our web site, human waste above the freeze line go nowhere even when buried! Groups of 20+ climbers with 100 or more porters leave serious traces on the mountain.

If you have an idea for a charity climb, please contact us using the email or phone number at the top of this page! For groups larger than 10, we dedicate our whole mountain team to your event! Wilbert, Faraja, Gideon and Hosea (4 of the most respected and best trained guides on Kilimanjaro) will work together to make your climb a success - and as always the Kiliwarriors will ensure that your team has a lot of fun too!

We will send you our full-color charity brochure and customize your climb to ensure that it meets your budget and goals.

Our charity climbs benefit your cause, our porters and the mountain!

Kind regards

Eben & Wilbert

Copyright © Ferris & Schoeman, LLC. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy | Legal Notice