This month’s personality
Mountaineer Remy Kloos is on several highs
SOUTH AFRICAN MOUNTAINEER REMY KLOOS WAS SET TO CLIMB EVEREST AND LHOTSE IN MARCH 2020 WHEN THE WORLD UNEXPECTEDLY SHUT DOWN. WE CAUGHT UP WITH HER A YEAR LATER, BACK IN THE HIMALAYAS WITH THE SAME GOAL: TO BE THE FIRST SOUTH AFRICAN TO CLIMB BOTH MOUNTAINS BACK TO BACK.
My mission is to kiss the summits of the highest mountains on all seven continents .Iʼve climbed four of the seven highest peaks : Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Denali (formerly named Mt McKinley) in North America, Mount Elbrus in Europe and Aconcagua in South America. Everest will be number five and, hopefully by the end of the year, Mount Vinson and Carstensz Pyramid in Papua New Guinea will be on the list, too.
What I’m hoping for with this expedition is to climb Everest and Lhotse, the highest and fourthhighest mountains in the world, one after the other. I decided to embark on this fun little challenge because there are only 40 or 50 people in the world who have done it but no one from South Africa. It would also make me the first South African woman to climb Lhotse, which appeals to me; itʼs so exciting! Mountaineering is dominated by men and I really want to push the boundaries of what society thinks women are capable of.
The physical preparation required for an expedition like this is extremely demanding. You have to build up a high level of strength and endurance, of selfcare and strong cardiovascular conditioning. You have to include a mix of cardiovascular training, strength training and flexibility training (yoga formed a vital part