AUSTRALIAN mountaineer Jamin Hepell has succeeded in breaking the world record of scaling Africa’s highest peak by trekking backwards.

The 34-year-old climber from the far south managed to accomplish the feat in less than 24 hours, walking backwards from Marangu Gate to the Kibo peak, otherwise known as Uhuru summit.

Travel agents say that trekking to Kibo needs five days up to Uhuru peak, with the Aussie climber noting that he set foot on one of the most challenging adventures, attempting to break the Guinness World Record by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro backwards in under 24 hours.

 Hepell spent 23 hours and 50 minutes climbing up and down Kilimanjaro, setting the pace to hear from the Guinness chroniclers, ascending the 5895 meters (19,341 feet) to the peak, avoiding to face the summit.

The earlier record was set by a South African mountaineer Jurgen Gessaud who scaled Kilimanjaro backwards in July 1997, reaching the peak after 72 hours, while his record buster recognizes the contribution of Kilimanjaro porters. That is why he undertook the trip in their honour, he declared upon descending from the top.

 “Every year, thousands of climbers set out to conquer Kilimanjaro, but behind each of their successes is an unsung hero—the porter. These incredible men and women carry heavy loads, often unregulated, to make our dreams possible. But too often, their contributions are overlooked, and their treatment is far from fair,” he further remarked

“I’ve seen it first hand,” he said, referring to the backbreaking work, the long hours, the lack of proper gear and lack of fair pay,” the adventurer intimated.

One of the reasons for him to undertaking the feat was to shine a light on the people who make these adventures possible and to raise funds for initiatives that support ethical standards for porters, he stated.

“All the money raised will go directly to the Kilimanjaro Responsible Trekking Organization,” he affirmed, referring to an initiative of the International Mountain Explorers Connection (IMEC) formed to improve the working conditions of the porters.

KRTO is a dedicated outfit for the proper care and treatment of porters on the mountain and enhance their life skills off their mountain activities.

While the challenge pushed the Aussie climber to his absolute limits, knowing that it’s for a cause that can create real change kept him going and eventually conquered both the peak and the record breaking dream, he added.