Kilimanjaro is five climates stacked on top of each other. You start warm and humid in the rainforest, cross open moorland where the sun burns and the wind bites, walk an alpine desert that swings from hot noon to freezing night, and finish in arctic conditions on summit night, well below freezing with wind on top.

If you are waiting to feel ready, you will wait forever, because nobody feels ready for a mountain they have never climbed.

John Evance's attempt has a twist that makes it more interesting than the clock alone. Rather than starting at the Marangu or Umbwe gates, where most previous record attempts have begun

The Shira Route suits the experienced trekker who has been to altitude before and knows how their body responds, and the climber who wants the plateau's vast early wilderness more than anything else on the mountain.

The Marangu Route suits the climber who genuinely prefers a hut to a tent, who is climbing in the wetter months and wants a roof each night, or who is watching the budget. It is a reasonable choice for a first climb too, provided you take the six-day version so your body has the time it needs to adjust. If comfort and simplicity matter more to you than scenic variety, Marangu has real and lasting appeal.

Every Kilimanjaro climber leaves the mountain with the same thought. I wish someone had told me. Here are the things we hear most often, collected from hundreds of post climb conversations.

If you are at the stage of researching major peaks, you are probably comparing these three. They are the dominant names in accessible high-altitude mountaineering for people who are ambitious but not yet technical climbers. They are frequently compared. They are very different mountains.

Day six. The climb to Barafu Camp. The final camp before summit night. The point at which the mountain stops being beautiful and starts being serious.

Kilimanjaro is not a technical climb. It does not require mountaineering experience. It does not require exceptional fitness. It requires the ability to walk uphill for six to eight hours per day across eight consecutive days.

A responsible operator does not send one guide with ten climbers. The guide ratio matters enormously. At Vertical Sky, our lead guide is supported by assistant guides in a ratio that ensures every climber is properly supervised throughout the expedition.

I climbed Kilimanjaro on Mounjaro, 20kg lighter than my last attempt, and told absolutely nobody. Here is what actually happened.

There is no upper age limit on Kilimanjaro. And in several important respects, older climbers have a significant advantage over younger ones.