British Man Honours Late Grandfather By Climbing Up And Down Kilimanjaro Backwards

A personal trainer from Northampton, England has become the first person to climb and descend Mount Kilimanjaro backwards.

Ben Stewart, 32, completed the unique feat to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation in early February. He made his back-to-front ascent and descent of Africa’s highest mountain to honour his grandfather, who passed away aged 65 after suffering a heart attack in 2010.

Ben is an expert at backwards climbing as before taking the 5,895m (19,340ft) peak, he conquered Britain’s highest mountains in a similar fashion.

Two people, one from South Africa and one from Nepal, had climbed backwards up the dormant volcano before – but none had gone down in reverse too.

Taking on the climb backwards may make it sound all too easy – but it proved a tough task, and could have proven extremely dangerous without taking precautions to avoid a fall. Ben had a team to guide him through the attempt and trained using a device that strengthened his neck so that he could spend long periods of time looking over his shoulder.

Fundraisers at The British Heart Foundation have also expressed their gratitude to Ben – whose JustGiving page has already sparked thousands of pounds in donations.