Aiming as high as the world’s highest peak

Climber aims to be first black woman to stand on Everest

NATURE has twice dashed S a r ay Khumalo’s shot to the top, but a lucky third time could mean she might just become the first black South African woman to stand on Everest.

On Wednesday, Khumalo left Everest base camp and began working her way higher and higher up the mountain, stopping over at camps as she goes. This won’t be her summit shot, but it will help her acclimatise to the altitude and give her an idea when she might be able to attempt the climb to the top.

To summit will require a window of good weather and, of course, some luck.

When she leaves base camp she loses internet connectivity and, with it, her regular chats with her boys, who are waiting for her back in Johannesburg. It is those teenage boys that she misses the most.

Khumalo spoke to The Saturday Star via WhatsApp just before heading off on Wednesday.

“It’s different because I have grown a lot as a climber since my first attempt in 2014,” she said. “I trained differently this time, and even included the use of a Hypoxico tent.” A Hypoxico or altitude tent is a sealed tent used to simulate higher altitude.

Khumalo’s first expedition in 2014 ended when an avalanche killed 16 guides on the mountain.

A year later, she was back on Everest, but this time an earthquake closed part of the route up the mountain.

As with her 2015 expedition, Khumalo has organised everything herself. In 2014 she climbed with the first black South African to scale Everest, Sibusiso Vilane.

“I have been saving for this expedition since 2015. Unfortunately, the ministry of sports did not believe in funding a black woman in 2017, even though funding was available, according to the former minister’s Budget speech.”

Over the last five years, besides her two failed Everest attempts, Khumalo has tackled some pretty high peaks, including Africa’s own Kilimanjaro, Mera Peak and Lobuche East in Nepal, and Elbrus in Russia. The highest peak she has climbed is Aconcagua in Argentina, which sits at 6 980m.

To c onquer Everest, Khumalo will have to climb 1 868m higher than that – so high that the mountain is often hit by the jet stream, high speed winds that usually only buffet airliners.

It also means having to cross crevasses on ladders that cut hundreds of metres into the snow.

But Khumalo says she is taking everything in her stride.

“Crossing crevasses doesn’t scare me at all because I have trained for it. At the moment I can afford to have fears as I am cautiously optimistic,” she explained.

If she reaches the top of Everest this time, there is something she wants to do.

“The first thing I will do on the summit is say a prayer of thanks to God, as He has been my guide in more ways than I could have ever imagined,” Khumalo said.

“Hitting the summit will be amazing and emotional, but descending after the summit will be epic, because the summit is half the expedition.”

Through t hi s cl i mb, Khumalo is hoping to encourage the next generation of African leaders who will be inspired to work towards their dreams.

But as Khumalo makes her way to the summit, there will be a very “local is lekker” South African mascot she will be carrying with her – and that is her Vuvuzela.