▶️ 2020 will mark 10 years since Mandy summitted Everest – becoming only the second South African woman to do so as well as the very first South African female to complete the 7 Summits.
Mandy and I knew of each other but it wasn’t until 2018, when we found ourselves signed up to the same expedition for Pik Lenin in Kyrgyzstan, that we had the pleasure of hanging out. 😁 Having a mountaineer of her calibre on this 7000m expedition always ensured that I had someone to chase after to keep me going! Mandy is strong, pragmatic but also has a brilliant sense of humour - especially when conditions turn less than ideal.
🌄Favourite mountain expedition to date: That’s like asking me to name my favourite child. Not possible - they’re all equally amazing in their unique way!
🌄 Two (2) gear must haves: clean summit socks and my beloved Marmot drop-seat Goretex salopettes
🌄Hardest lesson: mountaineering is not a game for control freaks. Things don’t always go according to the brochure. Without flexibility, patience and a good sense of humour, climbing would suck
🌄Music or audiobooks: music
🌄Shewee or squat: Neither! - I can pretty much pee standing up
🌄Sunrise or sunset: definitely sunset. When you see how fast the sun dips beneath the horizon it’s a reminder as to how quickly days pass and to make each one count
🌄 First post-Covid project: Am lucky to have snuck back in time from Haiti, having ticked off another of our “Caribbean 7 Summits” peaks, so the expedition itch was fortunately very recently scratched, but I’m clinging on to the hope that Madagascar might still happen in October.
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