We feel that all climbing companies have a responsibility to safeguard the health of their clients. Tusker Trail provides full emergency equipment on all climbs. Since Tusker started using this emergency gear, a handful of companies have started to provide some of this gear on their climbs as a marketing strategy. We feel this is a good start. However, Tusker is the only company on Kilimanjaro that not only includes all this safety gear on each and every climb - at no extra cost - but requires its guides to undergo a rigorous annual training program on how to use this equipment professionally.

The following equipment should be used by all companies as a matter of course.

This highly accurate medical device, when used properly, is an important tool that gives your guide an accurate indication as to how well you are adjusting to the altitude. It is used in conjunction with other medical techniques, making our guides professionals at monitoring your condition. You will be checked twice a day with the pulse-oximeter.

On every climb we carry a Portable Altitude Chamber, otherwise called a Hyperbaric Bag. This is an artificial pressure chamber, which simulates the altitude at significantly lower elevations with an increase of air pressure in the chamber. We use the PAC bag in the event you have an altitude emergency, and where immediate descent is not possible, or would take too long.

As you climb above 8,000 feet your body must acclimatize to the decreasing amount of oxygen available. Failure to acclimatize can result in Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), which has numerous symptoms, such as headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, cough, dizziness, blurred vision and vomiting. The intensity and severity of these symptoms will vary, but can very quickly become extremely serious and even fatal if not recognized and treated.

There are many situations where immediate descent is difficult if not impossible, such as bad weather, lack of manpower or difficult terrain. The PORTABLE ALTITUDE CHAMBER buys us valuable time and can stabilize or reverse severe symptoms of AMS. It is a lifesaver, and travels with every climb to the summit.

In the event you cannot walk down, you will be transported in a portable stretcher, custom-designed by Eddie Frank (patent pending). This is the safest and fastest way to be evacuated down Kilimanjaro. It is a lifesaver, and travels with every climb to the summit.

All our drinking water is filtered through our Katadyn Expedition filters. These are the same type of filters that are used by the U.S. Marines. Here are some of the filter's key features.

• A ceramic filter element that filters contaminants down to 0.2 microns
• Effective against all pathogenic bacteria and protozoa, including giardia, cryptosporidium, salmonella, amoebas and e-coli.