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Darol Kubacz is back on Kilimanjaro with his Freedom For Life team having launched another attempt to become the first paraplegic to make it to the summit of Africa’s highest mountain. 2 years ago, during his first summit bid, Darol was forced to turn back with  ‘just‘ 3,000ft to go when he developed pulmanory edema (altitude sickness) and came close to death, he’s spent these last two years training and preparing for another attempt and started out from the base on 7th August.

Darol Kubacz has spent the last two years training to be ready for Kilimanjaro again.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair is the disabled adventurers Mount Everest, we’ve talked about previous attempts at getting a wheelchair to the top of Kilimanjaro (including Darols) before, and next year will see paralympian Chris Waddell join the small but detirmined group of disabled moutaineers. If he’s successful then Darol will be only the second person to make it to the summit without help, and the very first paraplegic to conquer the african bastard.

Darol is accompanied by a film crew from Canada who will be recording the adventure and drama, producing a documentary showing what could well be the first successsful summit attmept by a paraplegic. The film, “One Mans Ascent To Freedom” is sure to be gripping whatever the outcome and should be a future headliner at mountain film festivals around the world. The trailer is looking pretty good too:

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At 19,340ft high, Kilimanjaro is full of problems, obviously a normal wheelchair would’nt stand a chance on the terrain and Darol is using a One-Off Titanium all terrain handcycle. We’ve already seen the adaptions Darol has made to his bike to tackle the hideous scree slopes on upper Kilimajaro and if there’s anything that can get a paraplegic to the summit under their own power it’s Darols machine.

It normally takes a five to six day round trip for someone walking . Kubacz plans make the trip in 12 days with a team of three other climbers and almost 20 porters carrying equipment and food. For able-bodied climbers, Kilimanjaro isnt a technical climb at all and so attracts a fair share of tourists. For someone in a wheelchair Kilimanjaro is more technical, and just as demanding as climbing Everest. The terrain is hideous, especially the upper slopes.

For the last stretch of the climb, Kubacz will drag himself to the summit by jumaring, a way to ascend on a static rope. However, he’ll do it in a fashion never done before. Kubacz will be laying with his back to the mountain in a modified Sked, or a toboggan, normally used for mountain evacuations, and pulley his way up.

That’s hardcore.

We’ll be keeping you up-to-date with progress as we get news from the team, currently they’re at 12,500ft and getting into really thin air and hard terrain. Darol is hoping to make the summit around the 17th August if all goes to plan.

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