Joe Cullen is tackling Africa’s highest mountain (Picture: Getty Images)
Joe Cullen is taking on the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro and hopes to be the first person ever to throw darts at the mountain’s summit.
The world number 23 is heading to Africa next week to climb the highest free-standing mountain on the planet and is planning a unique celebration at the top.
‘To my knowledge, I might be wrong, but to my knowledge no one has ever thrown darts at the top of Kilimanjaro,’ Cullen told Metro.
‘Winmau’s main dartboard factory is in Kenya. Apparently on a clear day you can see the top of Kilimanjaro from there. They’re sending some bits over so we’re going to set a dartboard up at the top.’
More importantly than sky high arrows, Cullen is raising money for Andy’s Man Club, a men’s suicide prevention charity, which is a cause close to his heart.
‘Me and my wife own a cafe in Wyke and we’ve got a charity box in there for Andy’s Man’s Club, a couple of guys who run local meetings come in all the time,’ he explained.
‘I thought I’d earn some money for them while I do it. I lost one of my best friends Rob to suicide four years ago in March. Just by coincidence the day I’m starting is his birthday, so hopefully I can earn a few quid for a good cause.’
Cullen is getting the eight-day trip underway next week (Picture: Getty Images)
The 35-year-old is very relaxed about the eight-day trek up Africa’s highest mountain after enjoying completing the Yorkshire Three Peak challenge, not worrying about strenuous training in the build-up.
‘I’ve done nothing!’ Cullen said. ‘I had a week in Tenerife last week on the p**s, because obviously I lost in the Worlds.
‘I went in an altitude chamber last night and the night before. We were walking at 1mph on the treadmill, you don’t break sweat or anything. I was bored, I went and got my iPad and watched Spurs v Liverpool. Three hours we were in there!
‘One of the boys I’m doing it with was saying he stopped drinking at the start of November, he’s been doing hill training once a week. I’ve done nothing!
‘The actual physical side of it isn’t that bad. You have to walk really slowly because of the altitude. It’s more mental and how you adapt to different levels of altitude.’
The weather at the varying altitude will also be a challenge, with Cullen explaining: ‘It’s 34 degrees there at the minute, then at the top it can get from -15 to -20.’
Cullen had an eventful time at Alexandra Palace this year (Picture: Getty Images)
The Rockstar is heading to Tanzania after a short but memorable World Championship campaign which saw him thrash the highly-touted Wessel Nijman, storm out of a press conference and then narrowly lose a brilliant game to Gerwyn Price in the third round.
‘I think the first game, I can’t remember ever being that wound up and up for the game,’ he said. ‘It wasn’t anything to do with Wessel or the bookies, but more the media.
‘Some people I know, they’re not friends but I’ve spent a lot of time with them and they wrote me off based on him having a good four months at the back end of the year. He’d never won a game at the Worlds before and I think it was my 14th Worlds, so I was like, really?
‘It [leaving the press conference] was definitely premeditated. I was speaking to my wife, I knew I was going to win, so I said: “When I win, get my bag ready.”
He’ll have his bag ready next Wednesday when he flies out to Africa to tackle Kilimanjaro for eight days, starting on Friday 17 January.