He Was Struck by Lightning on Kilimanjaro. He Thought It Was His Safest Mountain.

Mount Kilimanjaro is considered one of the “safest” mountains in the world. Every year, thousands of people climb it without ropes or oxygen. But it was here that a man died — one who had survived Mount Everest, endured −40°C on Mount Elbrus, and completed a world record of the Seven Summits. On January 2, 2013, Irish climber Ian McKeever was guiding his group across an open plateau at around 4,000 meters. They had spent four days in constant rain. Ahead — an exposed stretch with no shelter, nowhere to hide. A lightning strike kills him instantly. The man walking less than a meter away survives. How does a guide with a flawless mountain record die on the “safest” peak of his career? Was there any way to avoid it — or was it one of those moments when the mountain leaves no choice?