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The Northampton man who walks up mountains backwards

Ben Stewart/British Heart Foundation Ben Stewart walking up a hill backwards, looking over his shoulder and using a walking stick. Four men are walking up the hill behind him, facing towards the cameraBen Stewart/British Heart Foundation
Ben Stewart said he would have plenty of people to help guide him on his challenge

A personal trainer who scales mountains while walking backwards is hoping to set a new world record with his latest unconventional challenge.

Ben Stewart, 32, from Northampton, has already tackled several peaks in the UK to help raise money for charity.

He now wants to be the first to do a backwards ascent and descent of the 5,895m (19,340ft) Mount Kilimanjaro.

"It's going to take us six days to summit and two days to walk back down, if it all goes to plan," he said.  

While two people have already walked up Kilimanjaro backwards, Mr Stewart is hoping to be the first person to make it to the top and back down again this way.  

He said he started walking backwards as a way to challenge himself and did his first backward climb at Yr Wyddfa, or Snowdon, in June 2019.

'Really unique'

Last year, he completed the Three Peaks Challenge of Snowdon, Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike while walking backwards.

"It stems from wanting to give myself something really unique to work towards," he said.

"As a personal trainer I work with people who run marathons and half marathons all the time but I wanted to do something different". 

Ben Stewart/British Hearth Foundation Ben Stewart wearing a neck trainer, a heavy disc on top of his head secured by a chin strapBen Stewart/British Hearth Foundation
Ben uses a neck trainer to help his body cope with him constantly looking over his shoulder

He said he wanted to tackle Mount Kilimanjaro - the highest peak in Africa - in February as it was the highest mountain that can be climbed without mountaineering equipment.

With a large team to help guide him, he said the risk of him "falling off" was "extremely low".

"What is more of a problem is the damage I can do to my neck from looking over my shoulder as I walk, which is why I have been using a special neck training device". 

Mr Stewart will be raising money for the British Heart Foundation in memory of his grandfather, who died of a heart attack at the age of 65 in 2010. 

"He was far too young to have a heart attack and pass away from it," he said.

"But now he's on my shoulder and in my ear telling me I can do these amazing things, and help raise awareness for heart conditions that are so often overlooked."

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