My Journey to the Top of the World by Saray Khumalo

Author:Saray Khumalo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Chapter 20

I joined Momentum in October 2014, and in April 2015 I made my way back to Everest. On my first attempt, I had climbed to raise money for the Lunchbox Fund, which was a good fit for Discovery Vitality, while also aligning with my aim to contribute to children’s education. This time, I was going to raise money for the Mandela Library Project, which Sibusiso, as its ambassador, had introduced me to. I’d committed myself to building five libraries for the remaining five of the Seven Summits, and I intended to fund the first one from my 2015 Everest attempt.

This expedition would be a different proposition altogether from my previous attempt. For one, I did not have a sponsor. In 2014, as an employee of Discovery, they had been my sponsor, having contributed towards the cost of the trip. Although I was pleased that I had sponsorship, there is always additional pressure when another entity is paying towards an expedition. When the avalanche happened and people died, Discovery panicked, understandably. They were very worried about my safety and that of the expedition. An accident or disaster is always a sponsor’s worst nightmare, and I was aware of that.

On my second attempt, I was with Momentum. The company gave me paid leave and a commitment to get my fellow employees to support me on the climb, and I had agreed to take their brand to the top of the world. But the company wasn’t a sponsor in terms of paying towards the expedition. In some ways, it’s easier and less stressful to climb without a sponsor – although, on the other hand, you do have to worry about the money!

Another key difference was that I was on my own this time, without the experienced Sibusiso at my side. However, I was a little bit wiser and more experienced myself now. I had climbed Mera Peak, Lobuche East and Elbrus, which I’d organised on my own. As I had been to Nepal before, I knew what to expect in the Himalayas. Based on my previous experience, I sent my heavy gear via cargo to manage expenses. And I could choose my own sherpa.

Nawang was the lead sherpa when we climbed Mera Peak. He was one of the oldest and most experienced sherpas in the team – he’d been at it for twenty-two years – and from the word go, I’d thought, ‘This is the person I want to climb with.’

As well as being an excellent sherpa, Nawang was a fine person, soft-spoken, observant, down-to-earth and mature. Not someone who would make careless decisions at high altitude, which gave me the reassurance that I needed. Everyone in the group shared tents above Base Camp on that 2015 expedition, and as I was the only woman – there was no female climber or sherpani – I had to share with a man. I shared a tent with Nawang, and he was very respectful. He made me feel comfortable in what could have been quite an awkward situation and was very aware of allowing me my privacy and space.

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