Student Ben Boleyn strips naked and streaks in -12C temperatures after scaling Mount Kilimanjaro


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Some people will do anything for charity, even if it means stripping naked in freezing temperatures atop Africa's highest peak.

That's exactly what cheeky Ben Boleyn did when he reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro after enduring treacherous conditions during a nine-day charity climb.

The 18-year-old student scaled the 19,341-ft high mountain wearing full walking gear, including four layers of thermals, and then bared all for pictures after a friend bet him just 18 pence to streak at the peak in -12C weather.

Bottoms up: Ben Boleyn shed his clothes on Mount Kilimanjaro's summit after a friend bet him just 18 pence

Bottoms up: Ben Boleyn shed his clothes on Mount Kilimanjaro's summit after a friend bet him just 18 pence

Grin and bare it: Ben Boleyn scaled Africa's highest mountain to raise money for Acorns Children¿s Hospice

Grin and bare it: Ben Boleyn scaled Africa's highest mountain to raise money for Acorns Children's Hospice

Fully clothed: The 18-year-old student says he may strip naked when he visits Machu Picchu in Peru

Fully clothed: The 18-year-old student says he may strip naked when he visits Machu Picchu in Peru

Before the climb he raised £600 for Acorns Children's Hospice in Worcester, where he is a volunteer, but he has received hundreds more after posting his cheeky snaps on Facebook.

He posed for 10 minutes in just his walking boots, bringing some life to the dormant volcanic mountain. 

The teen from Kingswinford, West Midlands, said: 'Everyone at the summit loved it and everyone was taking pictures of me and I had a bit of an audience.

'My parents were shocked at first but people seem to have donated more because of it, which is great. It is quite unique.

'I would do it again at other landmarks. I want to go to Machu Picchu next so maybe I will strip there too.'

On top of the world: Ben Boleyn and a seven other climbers trekked an average of almost six miles a day

On top of the world: Ben Boleyn and a seven other climbers trekked an average of almost six miles a day

He got the idea from a fellow Acorns Children's Hospice volunteer, who snaps a picture of himself naked at every landmark he visits.

Ben said: 'Once I was with the climb group I mentioned it in conversation and it just snowballed after that.

'Everyone kept talking about it and one climber bet me 500 Tanzanian shillings, which is about 18p, that I wouldn't do it.

'When we got to the top I had to do it so just thought why not, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.'

The temperature was between -10C and -12C when Ben Boleyn decided to streak on the mountain's peak

The temperature was between -10C and -12C when Ben Boleyn decided to streak on the mountain's peak

Take it off: People have donated hundreds of pounds since Ben Boleyn posted the snaps on Facebook

Take it off: People have donated hundreds of pounds since Ben Boleyn posted the snaps on Facebook

He added: 'It was between -10C and -12C but it didn't feel that cold, probably because of the adrenaline and we had just walked for six hours so I was already warm.'

Ben scaled the mountain with seven other climbers after he spent four weeks volunteering at a hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

They trekked an average of almost six miles a day with a team of 31 porters.

He said: 'The summit climb was the hardest part but walking for nine days in a row was challenging.

'Some days we would do a short three hour trek and an hour trek to acclimatise and other treks would be eight hours.'

Breath-taking views: Climbers can see for miles when they reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro

Breath-taking views: Climbers can see for miles when they reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro

He did it all to raise money for Acorns Children's Hospice and awareness of the 'fantastic' work that they do.

'I do voluntary work every week at Acorns Children's Hospice in Worcester so have seen the amazing work they do caring for terminally ill children first hand and everybody has a massive smile on their face most of the time.'

Now that the climb is over, Ben is taking a gap year and hopes to study medicine at a university abroad before training to become a doctor.

He recently finished his A-Levels at King Edward VI College in Stourbridge, where he got an A in chemistry, an A in human biology and a B in maths with statistics.



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