Kilimanjaro, the charitable peak

This is my translation of an article which was published in a french Canadien street newspaper. I translated it for the english  readers of street newspapers around the world.

Kilimanjaro, the charitable peak

By Sandra Mathieu

Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania has become an iconic and symbolic mountain which is very popular with the thousands of hikers who often scale its heights in aid of charity. No fewer than 60,000 people reach its peak every year with 500 tourists visiting its slopes every day.

Jason Dominique, director of operations at Unikchallenge, a company which specialises in custom designed charity excursions, has agreed to tell us a bit more about this destination.

Itinerary (L’I.): How do you explain the excitement that Kilimanjaro arouses in people?

Jason Dominique (J. D.): In the beginning, most of the participants who come on the charity treks are not passionate mountaineers. Their first priority is the cause which they are supporting and they are looking for a trip that is accessible. This particular charity trek is trendy in the Quebec media at the moment! So, it is all the rage to be able to say that you have visited the highest point in Africa. In fact, 80 percent of the organisations who make use of our services choose the Kilimanjaro expedition. The media however, refer to it as though it were a simple trip with few dangers; consequently, people greatly underestimate the magnitude and complexity of a mountaineering excursion.

(L’I.) : What are the consequences of this popularity?

(J. D.) : The most important thing is that the organisations want their participants to pay as little as possible so that they may travel in larger groups and thus raise more money for their cause. Several travel agencies do take advantage of the general public’s lack of information and knowledge: making arrangements for the trek off their own bat which allows them to offer trips at lower prices. They don’t however pay sufficient care and attention to the selection of the participants, the importance of preparation and safety or the working conditions of the local guides and Sherpas.

(L’I.) : What solutions do you offer with regards to safety?

(J. D.) : The charity expedition industry is still a relatively young one in Quebec in comparison to other English speaking countries whose capacity to give is much larger than ours. There is still much work to be done and information to be gathered so that the industry can be properly regulated. For more than 15 years, we have been working in close collaboration with Emanuel Daigle, guide and mountaineering coach, to insure that a quality standard ISO [the international organisation of standardisation] was put in place and that the travel agencies who wish to proffer their services as organisers of mountaineering expeditions would have to comply with its stipulations.

(L’I.) : Do you think that Kilimanjaro will continue to ride the crest of the popularity wave over the years ahead?

(J. D.) :I think that this mountain will be welcoming new visitors for many years to come because the enthusiasm is still quite a new phenomenon in Quebec. Unikchallenge’s mission is to allow the charitable organisations who use their services to discover new horizons and to offer a variety of customised destinations and excursions: from going on hikes to the great wall of China, to dog sledding in the Charlevoix region, via deep sea diving in Africa. For those organisations who have their heart set on an expedition in the mountains but want to distance themselves from the current trend, we offer trips to several peaks in the Andes mountain ranges which are similar to Kilimanjaro in terms of difficulty, e.g. mount Huascaràn in Peru.

(L’I.) : What pointers would  you advise charitable organisations to look out for which indicate that safety is their travel agency’s top priority?

(J. D.) : A workshop on mountaineering is essential to insure that you are well educated and know exactly what you’re letting yourself in for. Participants should then submit to a medical examination: you should be aware that Travel health group’s clinics are the only ones who are certified to offer you a consultation and treatment for a climbing expedition such as this one. They revise the right to refuse participants who aren’t in good enough physical condition to tackle a mountain. Physiotherapists should then carry out a fitness assessment on you and develop a personal training programme which would include a further check up after a few months of training as well as another physical examination prior to departure. As for the ascent of Kilimanjaro: In order to avoid possible accidents and the effects of altitude sickness,   we recommend that you take at least ten days to do the climb.

For further information, go to www.unikchallenge.com

Translation by Allana Grant.