Kilimanjaro hero returns to the mountain – and you can follow his progress!

Tuesday 9th October 2007

The first man ever to climb to the summit of Kilimanjaro by wheelchair has returned to the mountain to emulate the feat. South African Bernard Goosen, who suffers from cerebral palsy, first reached the summit in 2003. It will actually be his third trip to the mountain, having initially returned in 2005 when he reached Gilman’s Point but failed to make it to the summit due to altitude sickness (you can read a good description of this climb by visiting the Carte Blanche website). As with his previous attempts, he is using South African agency DTAT to arrange the trip, with local suppliers Team Kilimanjaro organizing the trek itself.

Bern’s reasons for returning again are numerous. For one thing, he wants to banish the disappointment of not reaching the summit on that second occasion. He also wants to gain an entry into the Guinness Book of Records as the first wheelchair-bound person to reach the summit – apparently, the first time Bern conquered the mountain he didn’t follow Guinness’s stringent rules regarding record-breaking, and so that unprecedented climb does not, in the eyes of the officials, count. But Bern also wants to beat the time he set in 2003 by climbing to the summit in just 7 days, ie 168 hours from starting (in his only other successful attempt, he took nine days to reach the summit).

This latest trip is one of the most high-tech ever conducted on the mountain. Not only is it being filmed by Yellow TV but Bern’s wheelchair will also be fitted with a transponder, allowing those not on the trek to follow the team’s progress. You can also follow his progress by clicking on this transponder link. You can also visit Bern’s Get Motivated website.

We do, of course, wish Bernard well, and will be following his progress closely; we will also provide bulletins on his attempt on this site.

A Kilimanjaro medical kit >>