Two Johannesburgers are set to become the first South Africans to summit the highest peaks on each of the seven continents when they begin their ascent of Mount Everest on Thursday.
After waiting two weeks since finishing their three acclimatisation ascents, Alex Harris and Sean Disney’s team were finally given the go ahead on Wednesday after weather reports suggested good conditions would prevail until May 13.
The two mountaineers will be climbing along with four other members of the Discovery Everest 2003 Expedition — Sean Wisedale, Deshun Deysel, David Ker and Robin Walshaw — and all six will be accompanied by Sherpas.
They are to spend three nights on their way up to the South Col, where they will rest for half a day before starting their summit bid at 9pm on the night of May 11.
Everest stands at 8 848m above sea level and is the highest known mountain peak in the world.
Because the climbing times of the six team members differ, the mountaineers estimate that they will reach the top of the world any time between dawn and 11am on the morning of May 12.
Each climber has undertaken to head back to the highest camp if he or she has not reached the south summit by 9am and the summit itself by 11am on May 12.
Also, if the mountaineers encounter bad weather during the climb, they will wait at a 6 500m camp for a couple of days for it to pass, failing which they will return to base camp.
Excitement is said to be palpable in the camp prior to this, the climax of Harris’s and Disney’s ten year quest to reach the top of each of the seven continent’s highest peaks.
In less than a week they will hopefully have set a new South African record and will have added their names to the list of only 75 mountaineers who have accomplished this feat. – Sapa