The Kilimanjaro Score for Assessing Fitness to Fly Paragliders at High Altitude

Abstract

Extreme sports such as paragliding are increasing in popularity, providing continued challenges for the development of safe practice techniques. In January and February 2013, the Wings of Kilimanjaro expedition aimed to launch 95 paragliders from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, 5790 m above sea level. A safe launch was paramount but risked being impaired by adverse environmental conditions, in particular the pathophysiological effects of high altitude. There are no existing scores to assess fitness for high-altitude paraglider launches present in the literature. A novel scoring system, the Kilimanjaro Score, was therefore developed to rapidly assess pilots pre-flight. The Kilimanjaro Score aimed to assess cognition, memory, and visual-spatial skill within the context of standard pre-flight checks. Further testing, including the Lake Louise Score, was to be performed if the pilot's Kilimanjaro Score was deemed unsatisfactory. We present the Kilimanjaro Score here for comment and refinement, and we invite other parties to consider its use in the field for high altitude paragliding activities.