"7 Summits + 2 Poles" project news

Guides of the 7Summits-Club Marina Nemirova and Alexay Kabanov visited Kosta-Rica and Panama during the New Year vacancy. They made a wonderful trip and share with us their photo collection...

Carlos Sa marathon runner and climber has entered the record books after his conquest of the highest peak in the Americas.

The Portuguese knocked nearly five hours off the record for the ascent of Aconcagua cutting the time from 20 hours to 15 hours and 42 minutes.

The mountain, in the Andes range inArgentinarises to almost 7,000 meters and this was Sa’s second attempt at the record.

Technically in mountaineering terms it is known as an easy climb, but it has what is called, “a hidden evil” the intense cold which has caused many injures to climbers in the past and Sa also had to cope with deep snow hampering his progress to the top and that record.

Source: Euronews 

From 7Summits-Club

Carlos Sa or Carlos Gomes Dasa - 39 years old ultra sky-runner of world class, one of the first on all ratings.

That record toAconcaguawas carefully prepared. Carlos Sa with his team arrived to Argentina in December. On December 27 there was his first climb of Aconcagua for acclimatization and route studying. The first attempt of establishment of a new record took place on January 13. However in the upper part of a route conditions were unfavorable - snow swept up the track. The second attempt took place in three days. On January 16 Carlos started at 5:20 a.m. from an entrance to the national park Horcones, from height of 2750 meters. His start was noted by employees of the park who and fixed then his finish. At the top of Aconcagua (6962 meters, on the last measurement) the Portuguese was approximately at 5 p.m.. . And at 8:34 p.m. Sa returned to Horcones. Total time, that is a new record – 15 hours 42 minutes. Distance – about 81 kilometers, vertical drop – about 4500 meters.

Time of the Portuguese runner is confirmed as record by official representatives of National park. Also it was reported that Karlush Sa broke a record of the Peruvian Holmes Pantoja Bayona (20:35).

It, probably, means so that the time shown in 2007 by Spaniard Jorge Egochiarega - 14 hours, 5 minutes and 54 seconds – are recognized informal, or more precisely, as the officially unrecognized.

In 2000 Pelissier, Brunod and Meraldi - Italian team (all stars of ski-mountaineering) climbed on top of Aconcagua from Plaza de Mulas in 3 hours 40 minutes (1:12 – for descent). Still this result is considered as a record.

Well-known Catalan Kilian Jornet (at the left, Carlos at the right ) intends to establish new speed records at all Seven Summits.Aconcaguais planed for 2014. What route he will choose ?

On January 27th 2013, adventurers from all over the globe will assemble at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The team, the largest ever group to attempt the world’s tallest free standing mountain, aim to ascend the 19,340 foot high and fly from the summit. The climb and paraglide mission, something that is usually banned by the Tanzanian Government, will raise over US$1 million for 3 charities making a difference on the ground in Eastern Africa; Plant With Purpose, WorldServe International and One Difference.

The expedition was made possible by a small but passionate team from Australia who have worked for over 2 years to plan and convince the Tanzanian Government to temporarily lift the ban on paragliding from Kilimanjaro for this once in a lifetime event.

200 ADVENTURE PHILANTHROPISTS TO FLY FROM THE ROOF OF AFRICA TO HELP THOSE IN NEED ON THE GROUND

On January 27th 2013, adventurers from all over the globe will assemble at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The team, the largest ever group to attempt the world’s tallest free standing mountain, aim to ascend the 19,340 foot high and fly from the summit. The climb and paraglide mission, something that is usually banned by the Tanzanian Government, will raise over US$1 million for 3 charities making a difference on the ground in Eastern Africa; Plant With Purpose, WorldServe International and One Difference.

The expedition was made possible by a small but passionate team fromAustraliawho have worked for over 2 years to plan and convince the Tanzanian Government to temporarily lift the ban on paragliding from Kilimanjaro for this once in a lifetime event.

Adrian and Paula McRae

THE EXPEDITION
A team of more than 1,000 porters, guides, and crew will support the 100+ adventurers. The group will spend seven days making the trek to the 19,340-foot peak where the pilots will launch. This is slightly longer than most groups take to summit Kilimanjaro, in order to optimize the pilots’ acclimatization and minimize the risk of hypoxia and Acute Mountain Sickness.

Even with the extended time for acclimatization, not all pilots will summit. Sub-freezing temperatures, nausea, headache, dizziness, and fatigue are common effects of high altitude that could impede the proper mental or physical state required to safely launch a paraglider. Only the strongest will succeed.

THE PILOTS
For each pilot, the mission is very personal, and for many the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Participants commit to raising a minimum of $5,000 USD towards the charity fund, and have to pass a rigorous application process. Over 300 pilots have registered their interest from over 60 countries from as far afield asRussia toNepal fromSingapore toPeru. So far, over 100 pilots have been accepted as Official Wings of Kilimanjaro Pilots as a result of our strict screening process, focusing on experience to ensure the highest level of safety for all involved.

This remarkable record-breaking event will be communicated to the world via international sport, lifestyle and news media coverage; alongside global distribution of content via online, cable and network platforms, including popular video distribution and social media sites (Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, etc). A feature film will also be made, following the stories of select pilots and team members.

Paragliding participants currently include several newsworthy individuals from the world of adventure sport, adventure traveling and philanthropy.

http://wingsofkilimanjaro.com/index.php/home/

Alexander Abramov has recently returned fromAntarctica. So snow and ice was not scared him. And then there, and God himself commanded.

An old Russian tradition.

After Antarctica craving for cold Epiphany on a fine frosty day.

Alex Abramov and his son Maxim after bathing.

Photos sent by Dima Ermakov, a guide of the 7 Summits Club.

There are two things you can say with certainty about polar explorer Lonnie Dupre. The man is certainly persistent in his pursuits and he has an undeniable affinity for the cold places of our planet. For the third straight year, Dupre has ventured to Denali (also known asMt.McKinley) inAlaskato attempt a solo summit of the mountain in January – the coldest, darkest and harshest time of year on that unforgiving peak.

With a height of 20,320 feet, Denali is the tallest mountain inNorth Americaand a difficult climb under the best of conditions. Only 16 climbers have ever managed to reach its summit during the winter and none were able to accomplish that feat in January when temperatures routinely fall below -60°F and high winds pummel the mountain's upper slopes. As if those conditions weren't difficult enough, blizzards can rage for days, depositing heavy snow across the mountain and creating potentially deadly avalanches as well. In short, it is pretty much one of the most inhospitable places on the planet at the moment.

Dupre, who has visited the North Pole on two separate occasions and navigated the length of theNorthwest Passageby dogsled, is clearly unphased by these challenges. As in years past, he is climbing with just the bare essential gear and supplies in an attempt to move as fast as possible. He hasn't even bothered to bring a tent on the expedition choosing instead to dig a series of snow caves that he can use for shelter at various altitudes.

Thus far the weather has been less than cooperative once again this season and Dupre spent the better part of the month waiting in the small town ofTalkeetnafor the skies to clear. Eventually conditions improved just enough for him to catch a flight out to the Kahiltna Glacier. From there, he was able to organize his gear and start the two-day trek to Base Camp, but so far he hasn't been able to climb any higher than 8800 feet. A heavy storm has fallen across the region and according to Dupre's support team at home, more than 7 feet of snow has fallen on his position in the past few days. That has made it impossible for him to climb any higher, as visibility as been reduced to almost nothing.

For now, our intrepid climber sits and waits for conditions to improve to see if he can actually make a serious attempt at the summit. In 2011 he was able to get as high as 17,200 feet and last year he reached 15,400 feet before being forced to turn back. Perhaps this time he is getting the bad weather out of the way early and it will clear up later in the month. Temperatures haven't been nearly as bad as they were on his previous attempts either, so that is a promising sign for possible success should the snow ever stop falling.

Dupre is documenting his climb with the hopes of making a film about his adventure. But rather than wait for that film to be released down the line, you can follow his progress

on his website now.

by Kraig Becker

Vladimir Putin participated in the opening ceremony of the Russian Geographical Society headquarters in Moscow.

The President toured the library and lecture-hall, and visited the multi-purpose media studio, which connects the headquarters via videoconference with all of the Society’s offices throughout the nation.

The ceremony was also attended by the Russian Geographical Society president and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and members of the Society’s Board of Trustees, which is chaired by Vladimir Putin.

The Russian Geographical Society was founded by the Russian Emperor Nicholas I in 1845. Since its creation, its goal has been to collect and disseminate geographical data onRussia. With historic headquarters inSt Petersburg, the Society has offices operating in 81 Russian regions.

Source: eng.kremlin.ru

Rarely is to be found in one place such a high-level company. Surprising. Red.

* * *

PRESIDENT OFRUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN:

Friends, I congratulate you all on the opening of the Russian Geographical Society headquarters inMoscow. This is a pleasing and important event for everyone who loves our country, who is interested in its history and its culture, who cares about and values the traditions of our peoples.

I would like to particularly thank the Mayor of Moscow as it wasMoscowcity hall who provided this building, allocated funding for its renovation and organised the repairs. I also want to thank members of the Board of Trustees for helping to bring together everything that we have on these premises today.

I must also note that we have Russian Geographical Society offices open in 81 of theRussian Federation’s regions. But unfortunately, not all of these offices have their own buildings, even though that is very important and would not be difficult to achieve. Russian Geographical Society offices would certainly fill a very significant niche for those people who, as I said earlier, are truly and actively interested in the history, ethnography and traditions of our peoples.

These offices could serve as gathering places for scientists, public figures and, first and foremost, young people who want to devote part of their lives – or their entire lives – to their nation. Without the knowledge that is provided by the Russian Geographical Society, it would be actually impossible to do this properly and enjoyably.

The Russian Geographical Society has always had a tradition which was maintained even when the Society nearly ceased its existence, but its premises still remained inSt Petersburg, the tradition of accumulating and effectively using various items. These are not just materials pertaining to scientific research, although that, too, is very important; they also include libraries, which have already been mentioned and which are starting to be replenished or created anew.

I am asking all the members of the Board of Trustees to aid in replenishing these pools, and some of our colleagues are already actively participating in their replenishment. I promise that for my part, I will do the same, and I hope that the stocks will be much in demand.

We certainly should apply a modern approach; we should transfer all the holdings to a digital format and establish effective partnerships with archiving institutions, regional museums and other regional centres in order to set up a modern, highly accessible method for allowing these materials to be used by everyone who would like to use them.

I sincerely congratulate all of us on this event; I wish the new home of the Russian Geographical Society success and very much count on both the people present today and everyone who loves our country to get involved in the Society’s work. Of course, this will largely depend on the media. In this respect, I would like to thank Mr Dobrodeyev [CEO of the National State Television and Radio Company (VGTRK)]. You have come up with a brilliant TV programme, and the team consists of very interesting people who are enthusiastic about their work. The TV programme really is designed for millions of our people and, in my view, has a very good approach to presenting interesting facts and information that are of significance for our society.

Once again, I congratulate all of you. Thank you very much.

Seven Summits, hello! Dima Ermakov and Denis Saveliev send a message from the Cholera camp… Yesterday we were almost by whole team up at the summit, the highest point in the two Americas - Aconcagua. Only Semion Deyak could not reach the summit, a bit about 50 meters by altitude. Local rangers stopped everyone in their view who was climbing late. Well, nothing. We all have a good mood. Today we went down. Best regards!

Let's count.

(1) Alexander Abramov with four comrades goes by ski to the South Pole - the program "Last Degree".

(2) According to the plan 10th of January, Vyacheslav Adrov and Vitali Simonovich  start for the program climbing the highest volcano in Antarctica Mount Sidley.

(3) Large group (12 people) began its long journey to the summit of Aconcagua. Guides our Club: Dmitry Ermakov and Denis Saveliev.

(4) Another large group (10 people, guide Artem Rostovtsev) began the program Climb of Kilimanjaro. They will also visit a safari and Zanzibar.

(5) Another large group (12 people + 1 guide) started with a program of  the climb of Kilimanjaro one day earlier, on January 2. This is - a joint project of the Donetsk Vertical-Tour and 7 Summits Club. Most of the participants are from teh city Donetsk, as well as guide Vyacheslav Vyblov.

Just a few small groups of Kilimanjaro travel by programs of basic services:

(6) - January 2, Machame route

(7) - January 3, Marangu route

(8) - from January 7 to Machame Route with Safari and Zanzibar.

For individual applications travel the following members of our Club.

(9) Jamil Manizada met the New Year at the top of the highest mount in Australia (island and contitnent)Mount Kosciuszko

(10) Mary Dyachenko celebrated the New Year in Mexico, climbing Orizaba.

(11) We have a group in Indonesia, on the islands and volcanoes.

(12) Tomorrow, January 6, the Group of 7 Summits Club arrives for trekking to Everest Base Camp.

(13) On January 3th  a group of our Club came in Morocco. The program includes: -climbing the highest peak in North Africa -MountToubkal and excursions to historical places.

(14) Finally, three days later, on January 9th, another group of 7 Summits Club will start to Chile. Program: Climbing the highest volcano of the World Ojos del Salado,  and after that  make Patagonia cruises and tour wineries in Chile.

Total - 14 teams for the New Year and the first half of January. Our personal best record.

Dmitry Ermakov and Denis Saveliev sent an information from the slopes of Aconcagua. Today, a group starts from the camp Nido de Condores to the area of the camp Cholera. The weather is good, everything goes fine. Tomorrow is set to be the decisive day of the expedition. The group will go to storm Aconcagua.

First photos from Alex Abramov

Prolonged period of bad weather was in the mountains of Caucasus. This was accompanied by heavy snowfalls. Clearly, this has created a critical situation for mountaineering groups. The first case occurred on Kazbek. A group of four climbers from the city of Volgodonsk climbed to climb Kazbek to plateau at about 4,500 meters, and there they were waiting for the weather. Continued bad weather forced them to abandon the assault of Kazbek. Snow was very high. On the descent group was crashed by an avalanche. Only one of them was left on the surface. He called the emergency services. His companions were found only in 2 days. Three people were killed.

On Elbrus a group of climbers spent a night in a storm on a small rescue shelter in the saddle. On the descent, one climber Artem Ivanov was broken by strong wind in the beginning of traverse. He fall for about 500 meters. All attempts to approach him failed. The weather is very bad, rescuers could not get through the storm to the victim. Rather, he is already dead.

Elbrus in Winter

In the reigon of Bezengi two very strong groups chose to climb a very serious climbing routes on the North Face of Krumkol. One led by Valery Shamalo, another – by Victor Koval. They made two very strong climb. However, in the vicinity of the top a storm came. It fall so much snow that a descent became too dangerous. The situation was critical. Food ran out, some of the climbers had frostbitten.

Famous team from the Heliaction company came to the rescue. Private helicopter flew from to Bezengi. The weather improved and the climbers were rescued.

Watch the video

Our group made a successful ascent of Kilimanjaro. It was a little cold, it was hard, but all members were on the top. We then spent two days on safari in the Lake Manyara parks and Ngorongoro. The program ends on Zanzibar.

Guide Group: Artem Rostovtsev

Team members:
Anton and Valery Konobeev,
Liana and Renad Chabdarov,
Eugene and Eugene Kravt,
Daria Ufimtseva,
lubov Mironov,
Valery Ustinov.

The Seven Summits records!

The Team made up of Lyudmila Korobeshko, Ivan Dusharin and Maxim Shakirov battled frigid Antarctic winds for two long weeks, barely managing to get in a shot at the summit before a brutal snowstorm began. "The journey was an entirely new experience for us, but it was difficult too – technically, physically and emotionally – in large part due to the cold", said Ivan Dusharin about the expedition:

They’ve done it on December 11, 2012 (coincidentally International Mountain Day). Russian climbing trio reached the summit of Vinson Massif, the highest mountain inAntarctica, capping off their year-long mountain-climbing marathon, "Alpari: On Top of the World".

The Vinson expedition was Lyudmila Korobeshko’s second trip toAntarcticathis year. In January she took part in a ski expedition to the South Pole. About her experience on Vinson, Lyudmila said, "I was the only one from the team that had already been to the summit of Vinson, so I had a pretty good idea of the difficulty and the danger that were in store for us. The toughest parts had to be going two weeks without a shower and dragging sleds filled with our own waste. Well, that and the cold, of course. Everything else was fun."

The Team now holds a number of new records, having completed the Seven Summits in only 300 days.

First and foremost, our captain, Lyudmila Korobeshko, is the new holder of the women’s Seven Summits speed record, meaning she climbed the highest mountain on each of the planet’s seven continents faster than any woman in history. This year, she also became the first woman fromRussiato climb Everest twice. Ivan Dusharin also set the Russian Seven Summits "age" record. Ivan turned 65 this fall. In addition to the remarkable individual achievements of Lyudmila and Ivan, our trio also set the Russian Seven Summits team speed record. What better way to bring in the holidays?

If you would like to learn more about our team’s adventures throughout the year and access exclusive photos and video content, you can find all this and more on Team official site.

www.Alpari-life.ru

 http://www.m24.ru/videos/9461

Dima Ermakov and Denis Saveliev with a group afer breakfast went up from the Canada camp to Nido de Condores. It is an acclimatization outing...

Dear friends,

I wish you a Healthy, Prosperous and Happy New Year 2013!!!!

Asian Trekking's Celebration of 30th Anniversary:

Completing the year 2012, was a landmark for Asian Trekking. It marked the completion of our 30 year journey since being established in 1982.

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Asian Trekking in adventure tourism, we organised a tree plantation programme followed by a picnic on 30th Dec 2012 at Lakhuri Bhanjyang, above Kathmandu Valley. Among our 122 staffs (office and permanent field staff) most of them were present on the occasion.

On the occasion we felicitated, with certificates and rewards, our staffs who have been with us since the beginning in 1982. I feel proud to mention that these loyal and hard working staff are Suk Bahadur Ale (Sukre), Kali Bahadur Basnet (Kalu), Mingmar Tamang, Bhai Kaji Tamang (Maila Tamang) and Bala Bahadur Magar (Maila Magar). And, to my great surprise and honour, the field staff presented me with a mini stupa as a "token of love." It is because of our staffs' hard work, honesty, passion and dedication that Asian Trekking is where it is today.

An interaction program between office staff and field staffs were also held on that day. Various topics were discussed such as improvement in Asian Trekking’s services, welfare of the staffs, upgrading equipment to meet the existing requirement, required training for the climbing guide as well as trekking guides, cooks, kitchen boy etc. Though we completed 30 years, we are excitedly looking forward to the next 30 years.

Joint Tourism Coordination Meeting Between Nepal and China

On 17th and 18th December I attended the Sixth Meeting of the Joint Tourism Coordination Committee between the Government of Nepal and the People's Government of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) which was held in Lhasa. I was a member of the Nepalese delegation, in the capacity Mountain and Adventure Tourism Expert.

The meeting was held in a very cordial and friendly atmosphere. The 17 member Nepalese delegation was headed by Mr. Mohan Krishna Sapkota, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of the Government of Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region delegation was led by Mr. Yu Yun Gui, Director of Tibet Tourism Administration of the People’s Government of Tibet Autonomous Region.

The purpose of the meeting was to promote and expand cooperation in the areas of tourism and trade to the mutual benefits of both Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region.

Meeting with China Tibet Mountaineering Association

Also, on 19th December 2012 I had a meeting with China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) general secretary including other authorities of CTMA over the Tibet Expedition.

We discussed about the cooperation of future expeditions and how to run the expeditions smoothly without disruptions, visa issues and border closures. We also discussed over the issues of rope fixing, route making and permit fees on Mt. Everest, Mt. Ch-oyu, Mt.. Shishapangma and other mountains inTibet. CTMA assured me that the future expedition will run smoothly. I firmly believe that our mutual cooperation and our frequent dialogue will bring fruitful results in the development of mountain tourism both in Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region. I will continue to voice our concerns with the authorities for the betterment of mountaineering and tourism in the Himalayas.

First Aid and Medical Training:

Continuing our committment of safety in the mountains, this year again Asian Trekking organized first aid and medical training for the staff. A total of 40 staff participated in a two day training program.

The course focused on First Aid, Patient Stabilization, CPR, High Altitude Sickness and Response, etc.

Our sincere gratitude goes to Dr. Pranav Koirala, Dr. Kamal Thapa and Dr. Simant Thapa of the Mountain Medicine Society for conducting the training.

Maurice Herzog, French mountain climber, dies at 93:

I also have sad news to share. Legendary French mountaineer and author Maurice Herzog, died at the age of 93 on 13th the December 2012. Maurice and his climbing partner, Louis Lachenal ascended Annapurna I, the 10th-highest mountain in the world, on June 3, 1950. Doing so, they became the first person in history to successfully climb to the top of an eight thousand m peak.

Following this feat, Maurice wrote the hugely popular book, Annapurna, which has been translated into dozens of languages and estimated to have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. First published in 1951, Maurice's book put Nepal on the world map ‘for the first time’ and greatly promoted Nepal as a mountaineering and tourism destination.

I am very proud to have known him as a close friend. His passing is a great loss, though his legacy survives in all the mountaineers and adventurers he inspired.

Asian Trekking and I express our heartfelt condolences to his family and pray for his peaceful eternal journey.

Thank you for your support:

Lastly, it is my pleasure to keep you all up to date as to our activities here in the Himalaya. If you have any questions please do let me know. I thank you for your support in the past and look forward to our cooperation in the future.

Ang Tshering Sherpa

Asian Trekking (P) Ltd

www.asian-trekking.com

Today our big group (12 climbers + 2 guides) reached the base camp Plaza de Mulas. Everything is OK. Guides: Dima Ermakov and Denis Saveliev.

Hello! Now 9 p.m. by Chile time. Our team is, without loss, came to the South Pole. So, we are five. We are at the South Pole. Congratulations to all with Ortodox Christmas. Today we also will celebrate it. Hooray! Tomorrow we plan to fly to the Union Glacier. It is likely the 10th of January we'll be in Chile. Today the weather was really bad. We even got lost a bit in the blizzard. But we managed to find the pole. All is well. Goodbye!

Ian McKeever once held the record for completing the seven highest peaks in the world in the fastest time

An Irish mountaineer and charity fundraiser has died while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro inTanzania.

Ian McKeever, who was 42 and from Lough Dan in Wicklow, was leading a group of climbers when they were struck by lightning.

Mr McKeever was a leading member of the Kilimanjaro Achievers Team, a group of veteran climbers which led groups to the top of the mountain.

In 2007, the adventurer had scaled Mount Everest.

He is also the former holder of the record for completing the seven highest peaks in the world in the fastest time - 32 days fewer than the previous record.

In 2009, he was part of a team that attempted to row the South Atlantic Oceanin under 30 days, but the boat lost its rudder and they were forced to postpone the attempt.

More recently he had been attempting, along with African climbing guide friend Samuel Kinsonga, to break the record for the fastest ascent of Kilimanjaro, as part of their anti-racism Black and White Makes Sense Campaign.

Mr McKeever was the author of two books - Give Me Shelter and Give Me Heroes - and was working on a third book Give Me 28 Days.

On his Facebook page on Wednesday night, a statement said: "It is with deep regret, that we, Ian's family, fiancee Anna and friends, advise of his sudden death on Kilimanjaro, today, doing what he loved best."

Mr McKeever had been posting messages on the site during the ascent of the mountain.

His last post, on Tuesday, said: "Shira 2, 4,000m. Torrential rain all day. Spirits remain good even if drying clothes is proving impossible! We pray for dryer weather tomorrow - the big day. It's the Lava Tower."

It is understood none of the other climbers suffered serious injuries.

In a message of condolence, Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Enda Kenny said: "I was very saddened to hear of the death of renowned adventurer Ian McKeever.

"I had come to know him over recent years and I admired him not only for his own achievements and charity work but also for his work with young people in challenging them to achieve their full potential.

"He was extremely passionate about what he did and driven in his belief that everybody can achieve their potential during their lifetime.

"Ian said to me once that there was no place he would rather be than in the mountains."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20896985

Site of the project:

http://www.kilimanjaroachievers.com/Team.html

Seven Summits record

“My Dad phoned my Mum from the hospital yesterday to convey the very sad news. He said that he was fine but he was thrown into the air by a bolt of lightning, so I’m anxious to hear from him again.”

Mr McKeever had climbed Kilimanjaro several times, often leading groups of youngsters, and was on this occasion leading a large team of mostly Irish climbers raising money for charity.

The attempt on the 19,340ft mountain,Africa’s tallest, began on December 30 and immediately ran into unseasonal bad weather.

On Mr McKeever’s Kilimanjaro Achievers Facebook page, colleagues wrote that the group was above 13,000ft but that conditions had been terrible throughout the climb.

“Torrential rain all day,” they wrote on Wednesday. “Spirits remain good even if drying clothes is proving impossible! We pray for dryer weather tomorrow – the big day.”

They were due to ascend to the Lava Tower, a key point of acclimatisation at 15,000ft, before descending slightly to sleep before pushing higher towards the summit, which they aimed to reach late on Friday.

The storm is understood to have worsened as the group was climbing towards theLavaToweron Wednesday.

Mr McKeever died later that evening.

Among those taking part in the climb was a school group from Ballinamore in north-westernIreland, with four students and a teacher, Aoife Ni Mhaille.

Padraig Leyden, head of St Felims College, said he had a brief conversation with Miss Ni Mhaille.

“It was very frightening and very severe,” Mr Leyden told The Daily Telegraph. “The group hid behind rocks for the entirety. I do not know whether they witnessed what happened.

“They were taken off the mountain and were brought to a local hospital for checks. All the students are physically fine, but naturally very upset about what’s occurred.”

Tributes poured in for Mr McKeever and his achievements during a decade-long mountaineering career in which he set a world record for the fastest successful summiting of the highest peaks on all seven continents, finishing the feat in 156 days in 2007.

Pat Falvey, renowned Irish explorer, said Mr McKeever “followed his dreams with conviction and inspired others”.

“It was a freak accident and a complete fluke,” he told the Irish Independent. “I have lost two friends in lightning strikes, including one on theHimalayas— but they are very rare on Kilimanjaro.”

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: “Ian said to me once that there was no place he would rather be than in the mountains.

“I would like to extend my sympathies to his fiancee Anna and his family, friends and fellow adventurers.”

Hello! This Artem Rostovtsev, from the slopes of Kilimanjaro. We are now in the camp of Mandara. Today, the entire group met inAfricaand we have started a program Climbing Kilimanjaro.