For the past four years I have been leading my client groups up Kilimanjaro using the Shira Plateau Western Breach route. It is the outstanding approach to the mountain in terms of scenery and views, and when combined with a night spent at 18,600 feet in the Crater of Kibo, is in my opinion, the most rewarding way to reach the summit.
On Wednesday 4th January two climbing groups, one outfitted by African Environments (the company I learned my trade with) and the other outfitted by Zara International, were ascending the Western Breach following the normal hiking route, having left Arrow Glacier Base Camp at around 6.30 with a view to reaching the Crater by lunch or shortly after. As the hikers, their guides and, at that point, many of their porters neared the point at which the trail climbs up onto a central rock ridge (called “The Train” by guides here) an enormous rockfall was released from the Crater Rim high above and a huge number of rocks rained down on the climbers caught on the slope directly below. Three tourists were killed and many Tanzanian guides and porters were injured very badly. The timing of the accident was particularly damaging because so many people were concentrated in an area below a corrie where falling rocks are funnelled.
I can report from first hand conversations that the guides and porters working for African Environments mounted a highly professional and comprehensive first aid and rescue operation which saw all injured climbers and every other member of the climbing team evacuated and returned safely to Arusha by 9 pm that evening, an incredible achievement. One American climber with a badly injured shoulder was evacuated to Nairobi and subsequently to USA for further treatment.
All those people out there who have followed this route with me during a climb will appreciate what is involved in this hike. It is a hard day and, although the distance covered is not great, can be exhausting due to the rapid gain in altitude and the ultimate altitude reached. This has lead to some clients referring to the Western Breach rather uncharitably as “The Western Bitch”. However most people who have completed the hike agree that it is worth it for the thrill of seeing the Crater and for some of my guests the trip to the Ash Pit has been the highlight of their climb, something which is not possible if climbing Kilimanjaro via one of the night-ascending routes (Machame-Barafu or Marangu-Kibo Huts)..
For the benefit of those of you out there who have never climbed the mountain by this route (or any route) I wanted to describe the circumstances in which this terrible accident occurred as accurately as possible using my own knowledge of the mountain, the Western Breach and information given to me directly by the directors of African Environments. As far as I am concerned the important message to take away from the incident is that this was a case of pure, uninhibited bad luck for which there is no scapegoat except the mountain itself. It is a huge, weather beaten volcano that, although scaled by thousands of ordinary people every year, is still a dangerous proposition which requires climbers to accept the likelihood of life-threatening accidents occurring. Bungee jumping, white-water rafting, sailing, skiing, recreational mountain climbing – all these activities are potentially dangerous and a small number of fatalities are recorded for such “adventure sports” every year.
For the first 1500 feet the hike ascends directly up into a narrow corrie on the northern (lefthand) side of the Western Breach. The path snakes back and forth crossing various rock ridges and scree fields made up of rocks of varying sizes. At night and for the first part of the morning the rocks are frozen in place, but once the sun strikes the slope the ice melts and the rocks can become loose. Most groups plan to be clear of this section by this time, and this is almost always the case. The path subsequently winds through the upper ridges of the breach finally emerging at the Crater Rim via steep moraines scree fields.
From what I understand the rockfall that occurred on this particular morning was quite unlike anything that any guide or porter has ever seen before on the Western Breach. Small rock falls, tumbling stones and dislodged boulders are not uncommon in the rocky scree along this route from Arrow Glacier, and during the course of a normal day’s hiking on the Breach you will hear a shout of “mawe” from time to time as porters and guides warn each other and their groups of small rockfalls and dislodged stones.
Rockfalls of these proportions are very rare and unpredictable. There is nothing that any climbing guide or company can do to avoid potential injury from these incidences, and therefore this accident can only be put down to pure bad luck. However, other potentially fatal but mostly avoidable dangers do await the climber on the Western Breach, or indeed on any other route up the mountain, in the form of cerebral or pulmonary oedemas. A mixture of badly planned itineraries, inexperienced guiding and general poor preparation sees a handful of climbers die each year on Kilimanjaro from oedema. However they are not as dramatic or eye-catching as a major accident, so receive precious little coverage. Also, if all cases were reported accurately it would shine the spotlight on the outfitting company rather than the mountain or the route.
The Western Breach route has been temporarily closed thanks to a vote taken by the organisation of Moshi based tour operators, outfitters who until recently never used the Western Breach as a climbing route and who have no experience to speak of on that part of the mountain. A small handful of operators, mostly based in Arusha, have been using the Western Breach route for the last 15 years and have equipped themselves with the skills and materials to climb the route safely and successfully, and we can only hope that the route will be re-opened in due course for the adventurous and discerning hiker.
With my best wishes for a prosperous and healthy 2006.
Jo.