Tanzanian mountain guide, Julio Ludago, has ascended and descended Mt. Kilimanjaro in 11hrs and 8 mins. He put up a spirited fight in a bid to beat the current world record of 6 hours, 56 minutes and 24 seconds held by Swiss-Ecuadorian Karl Egloff. Sponsored by Intel Corporation, ASUS and his employer Ahsante Tours, Julio Ludago became the second Tanzanian and African to make this attempt to climb and descend the highest mountain in Africa in the shortest time on record. In February 2006, another Tanzanian guide Simon Mtui climbed and descended the mountain through the same route in just 9 hours, 21 minutes.
Throughout the preparation stage and actual climb, Julio used Intel’s Basis Peak™ to help him track his activity, health and sleeping metrics 24/7. He has been able to continuously monitor his heart rate, movement, perspiration and skin temperature throughout the climb.
During his preparation phase, Julio also had an Intel-powered ASUS* Transformer Book T300 Chi to track weather conditions, create a schedule and measure his progress. He was also able to surf the internet to get exercising tips and keep in touch with his fans. Ahsante Tours, Julio’s employer, provided the logistical support during his training sessions and managed logistics during the day of the climb.
According to Julio, the high altitude, low temperature, and occasional strong winds made it a difficult challenge but he carried on with a lot of faith to conquer the world’s highest free-standing mountain. He received overwhelming support by the online community through the hashtag #TheClimbAfrica.
Climbing Mt.Kilimanjaro is on my bucket list and to think someone can ascend and descend the mountain in a matter of hours is just amazing. At Hapa Kenya we would like to wish Julio all the best in his bid to beat the world record.