PREVIEW

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 (2024).
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.

“I want to do this in memory of my grandfather, who tragically succumbed to a heart attack,” Ben says. “He always said he was ‘far too young to have one and pass away.’ Now, he's a voice, a thought, and a reason why I must accomplish amazing things to ensure more people don't overlook their heart conditions.”

Ben also decided the climb was the perfect way to honour his granddad as childhood holidays spent in Scotland inspired his love of the outdoors.

“He lived up in Scotland for most of my younger years, but when we caught up we always went out and explored a local woods,” the record-breaking climber explains. “I draw inspiration from lots of my family but he had an impact on me to keep healthy, enjoy the outdoors and get exploring!”


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.


“The toughest things about the trek wasn’t necessarily the walking backwards part, the altitude really did effect me way more than I could have imagined,” Ben reveals.


He 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.


Explaining why he’s the third to do the climb backwards but the first to take on the descent, the mountaineer continues, “The descent was much more challenging than my other challenges, the footing and incline I was walking on made it particularly difficult. I found myself going slower which helped reduce the risk of any injuries but also meant I was out on my feet for longer than I’d have liked.”


Fundraisers at The British Heart Foundation have also expressed their gratitude to Ben - whose JustGiving page (https://www.justgiving.com/page/benjamin-stewart-1696345961411) has already sparked thousands of pounds in donations.


“Around 7.6 million people are living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK alone, which is a shockingly high number,” Jon Frost, BHF Fundraising Manager says. “But Ben’s amazing efforts will help the British Heart Foundation continue to fund research that saves and improves lives.

“60 years ago. Seven out of ten people having a heart attack like Ben’s grandfather didn’t survive. With the research and advancements made from BHF projects we now see seven out of ten people survive.

“Ben is a real inspiration to us all: he is not only raising funds, he’s also raising awareness of how important it is for people to think about their health and fitness - even if they don’t want to do something like walking backwards up a mountain!”