Tanzanian Mountain Guide Sets Out to Break the World Record in Climbing Mt. Kilimajaro, Africa’s tallest Mountain

NAIROBI, Kenya, 18^th September, 2015 –   It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world at 5,895 metres above sea level. The challenge is to climb it in less than 6 hours, 56 minutes and 24 seconds which is the current world record held by Swiss-Ecuadorian Karl Egloff who completed a run up the Umbwe Route and descent via Mweka in August 2014. Now Julio Ludago, a professional mountain guide at Mt. Kilimanjaro hopes to beat this record on September 27^th 2015 when he ascends and descends Mt Kilimanjaro via Umbwe route – Western breach 

“I know breaking the world record is not going to be an easy task. The high altitude, low temperature, and occasional strong winds on Mt. Kilimanjaro make this a difficult and dangerous challenge but I am prepared. For the last 2 months, I have been training relentlessly and with the support I am receiving from Intel, Ahsante Tours and ASUS I am confident I’ll break the record,” said Julio.

Intel, Ahsante Tours and ASUS have come on board as Julio’s sponsors to help turn this challenge into an exciting experience that will rally various African nations to cheer Julio on as he attempts to break the world record. Supporters can join the conversation by following the social media campaign dubbed #TheClimbAfrica.

Ahsante Tours, Julio’s employer, has been providing the logistical support during his training sessions and will also manage the logistics during the actual day of the climb. “We are proud and excited to be supporting Julio in this challenge and are working very closely with Kilimanjaro National Park Authority to ensure this runs smoothly. We are looking forward to him breaking the world record and making Africa proud,” said Noel Kilengo, Marketing Manager.

“Intel, through the use of technology will enable Julio to track his fitness levels and also share his extraordinary experience with Africa and beyond. As he prepares to break the world record, we want people to celebrate his experience and be part of his journey.” said Lavinniah Muthoni, Head of Marketing and PR for Intel East Africa.

Julio was given climbing gear and the Basis Peak™ that helps him track his activity, health and sleeping metrics 24/7. It also continuously monitors movement, perspiration and skin temperature. This multi-sensor approach, combined with Basis’ BodyIQ technology, enables Basis Peak™ to automatically detect walking, running, biking, sleep phases, sleep quality and more. Even with these sensors working 24/7, Peak maintains a battery life of up to four days, a challenge for many other wearable devices on the market today.

Another exciting technology that Julio will use during this mission will be the ASUS* Transformer Book T300 Chi powered by Intel. The razor-thin and powerful 2-in-1 device with a 12.5” screen perfectly meets Julio’s needs because it is lightweight (720g tablet), compact and thin (7.6mm), and is able to handle the rigors of ascending a mountain as well as continue to operate under low temperature and atmospheric pressure. The ultra-slim 2-in-1 delivers incredible performance and is also power-efficient thanks to the latest Intel® Core™ M processor. With a battery that can last up to 8 hours, it enables Julio to document images and videos throughout his climbing.

“We are excited to be part of Julio’s journey. ASUS laptop was the first laptop to reach the top of Mount Everest at the height of 8848m in the past, so we are confident the ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi can successfully survive the severe conditions during this mission and help Julio to connect with his fans. As part of the social media campaign to create awareness on Julio’s challenge, we are awarding fans that accurately predict the time it will take him to ascend and descend Mt. Kilimanjaro with our 2-in-1 laptops. We urge everyone to join in and cheer Julio on,” said Mr. Alvin Huang, Director, System Business Group, English Speaking Africa, ASUS.

Follow this ambitious story online over the next three weeks using #TheClimbAfrica hashtag and send your well wishes to @JulioLudago on Twitter. In East Africa follow @IntelEastAfrica on Twitter and Intel Kenya on Facebook, in Nigeria follow @IntelWestAfrica on Twitter and Intel Nigeria on Facebook, and in South Africa follow @Intel_Africa on Twitter and Intel South Africa on Facebook to participate in the prediction campaign.