In reply to OwenF:
Coupla comments:
I'd be looking at the North Face (normal route) on Batian due to time of year.
Right choice. Been twice (August & December) & made the mistake of trying SF routes on Nelion & Point John in August before switching attention to NF route on Batian
Would being 100% self supported be a logistical nightmare and would we likely be exhausted before getting to the base of the route?
Depends on how young / fit / tough / motivated / desperate you are. Doable if you trim your gear appropriately & are lucky with weather & acclimatisation
At a minimum, what would you recommend paying for? Obviously transport up to the park gate, but then porters? guides? cooks? onwards to last camp.
Personally – you could certainly get away with a porter + cook, but you might struggle to get local outfitters to set you up that way. On our second trip (6 of us climbing) we went mob-handed with a very good cook & re-supplies & spent about 10 days at American Camp (& elsewhere – we were strewn all over the place, bumping into each other every now & again) & it was a very good experience. A bit “Out of Africa” but very enjoyable.
Has anyone taken climbing gear as part of a longer trip and stored; a) surplus kit whilst on Mt Kenya (i.e. stuff for later travels) and b) climbing gear after climbing when traveling on? Or is it hopeless trying to avoid lugging ropes/rack/tents around with me for 6 weeks?
Haven’t done it so can’t say. But I would think a local outfitter would store it for you.
Any advice or tips from self-supported or semi-supported trips would be very helpful.
First time in August we went on the NF Standard route from the hut (no longer there) below & carried bivi gear. A great night out on a spectacular perch, but Day 2 we turned back a couple of pitches from the top. Major hailstorms (no lightning that I recall) around lunch time both days. Second time in August did a few days shorter stuff on Melhuish & Point John Minor & then did SF Route on Nelion from American Camp with very light sacs. Comparison - misery vs. magic. Again, personally, I would not carry bivi gear on the route but go as high as I could in a day & bail.
My tuppennyha’worth. Although different in most ways I thoroughly enjoyed both trips – have a good one!