Pakistani mountaineer Asad Memon eyes new climbing record

Pakistan’s emerging mountaineer Asad Ali Memon has set his eyes on creating a new record by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the seven summits in the world, in less than 24 hours.

Talking to Geo Super on Thursday, Asad said that this year on February 10, he is aiming to become the first Pakistani to climb 19,340 ft. Mt. Kilimanjaro in less than 24 hours.

“Many Pakistani people have climbed this peak but they have taken 5 to 6 days time, which is usual time, but I want to do it in a day, in less than 24 hours” he said.

Earlier this year, Asad had successfully climbed Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas and hoisted the Pakistani flag at its top, located in Argentina.

The Larkana based mountaineer said that he is excited about the feat and wishes to do something different. Asad referred to Karl Egloff, a Swiss mountaineer, who has the record of climbing Kilimanjaro up and down in 6 hours 42 minutes, as his motivation.

“My ultimate aim is to break Egloff’s record, but due to limited resources and latest equipment, I aim to at least summit it in 24 hours,” he added.

The weather during the summit is expected to be a mix, hot in the evening and cold at night, whereas rain showers are also expected.

Asad said that he has been working on increasing his stamina and running on slippery ground for the past four months. “To complete the summit within 24 hours, I will have to run for 64km – the distance from starting point to peak through the Marangu route,” he said.

“There is a 15km patch in the second phase - a forest that takes about an hour and a half to cross - and it’s usually raining in that area. So, I have to practice running on slippery ground with normal hiking shoes. For this, I’ll be going to Gilgit in January to run on snow with hiking shoes,” he added.

He also shared that he won’t be carrying any food or water with him except for chocolate bars.

“I have to keep myself as light as possible to be fast. There will be someone after every 5-10km of distance with chocolate bars, water and cloths. I will stop there for a moment and then start moving to reach the peak as soon as possible.”

Mount Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania and will be the third mountain of his ‘Seven Summit Challenge’ where he will be climbing the fourth highest peak in the world. 

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