Congratulations to our 2022 Mount Kenya team – Wolf R., Art M., and Jonathan E.!  On June 14th, the team had success in reaching the high peak of Batian (5199m/17,057ft) on Africa’s second-highest mountain after 100% of them reached Mount Kenya’s Point Lenana (4985m/16,355 ft) the previous day.  It was an incredible adventure and a solid rock climb!

Their smiles say it all–Job well done!  We are excited to let some of the team members tell it in their own words…

From his Facebook post, here’s climber Jonathan E.:

On the summit of Batian peak. The highest peak of Mt Kenya standing 17,054ft. We climbed via the north face standard route. It was a huge challenge of 20+ pitches. While most of the climbing is on mid-5th class rock, there is one 5.9 pitch and several at a 5.8 standard. Overall it was 16 hours tent to tent summit day. The locals tell me that it was the first successful climb on the North Face since 2020!

And Art M. says:

Trying to climb this mountain from the north is something that is clearly underappreciated by most people. The big news? Wolf and Jonathan made it to the top on a clear but chilly and very windy day. We believe they and their guide John were the first people to Summit on the northside since 2020.  It is a testament to their strength, expertise, and stamina and the excellent support services that Madison Mountaineering pulled together that allowed them to achieve such a stunning achievement in an exhausting 16-hour push.

Even I, with the help of David my patient guide, managed to get myself up 1,500’ of stunning rock climbing, even though it was only halfway in terms of time to the top!  Still, about 15 pitches and a dozen or so rappels – are you kidding me?  This old guy never in his wildest dreams expected to experience anything like it.  It was thrilling, challenging, exhausting, frightening and exhilarating, all in one.