Young African adventurer set to break several records with the Seven Summit Challenge

A young African adventurer is set to become the Youngest SA women to complete the Seven Summit Challenge.

Breaking Records:

Apart from that, the 31-year-old Remy Kloos is also aiming for another first; to be the first African to ever complete a double summit – reaching the top of both Mount Everest and the top of Mount Lhotse within 24 hours, the highest and fourth highest mountains in the world.

According to Getaway, the Capetonian high-altitude mountaineer has summitted four of the seven mountains that make up the Seven Summits Challenge – Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Elbrus in Europe, Aconcagua in South America and Mount Denali in North America.

This October she is setting her sights on climbing the highest peak in Oceania, Carstensz Pyramid. In fact, Kloos departs for her next summit challenge on 17 October.

She is aiming to finish the Seven Summits in 2020 by climbing Mount Everest In Nepal in April and Vison Massif in Antarctica in December. The Everest-Lhoste combo climb, which has never been attempted by anyone from the African continent, will also make her the first woman from Africa to summit the Lhotse peak.

You can follow Kloos on Instagram to keep up to date with her expeditions.

The Bigger Picture:

Kloos launched the #JustClimb initiative last year to raise funds for the Dlala Nje Foundation based in Johannesburg.

So far, she has raised close to R400 000, which has gone towards the expansion and renovation of their children’s community centre. She also recently partnered with the Sunflower Fund for the remainder of her climbs.

The Fund is ultimately a donor recruitment centre and stem cell registry. They fight blood diseases like leukaemia through the recruitment of stem cell donors to help patients in need of life-saving blood stem cell (bone marrow) transplant.

Pulling through:

Kloos explained to Getaway that in order to summit these formidable peaks, she relies on her grit to push through – perseverance, resilience and the power of the mind.

However, she says that relying on grit will only take you so far: “Leaning into grace is equally as important – focusing on humanity, humility, gratitude and positivity. I always carry an artificial sunflower with me on my expeditions as a symbol of grace and hope.

“I am so grateful for landing up on this crazy beautiful journey. Through all my adventures I am learning to embrace fear and uncertainty wholeheartedly, allowing it to be my compass, guiding me forward, pushing me outside my comfort zone. Climbing mountains has changed my whole life.

“I have watched myself accomplish feats that I previously thought impossible, where true transformation began with believing what I was capable of!”

About the Seven Summits:

The ‘Seven Summits’ are comprised of the highest mountains on each of the seven continents of the Earth. From highest to lowest, they are:

• 1. Asia: Mount Everest 29,035 feet (8850 meters)
• 2. South America: Aconcagua 22,829 feet (6962 meters) 
• 3. North America: Mount Denali 20,320 feet (6194 meters)
• 4. Africa: Kilimanjaro 19,340 feet (5895 meters)
• 5. Europe: Mount Elbrus 18,510 feet (5642 meters)
• 6. Antarctica: Vinson Massif 16,067 feet (4897 meters)
• 7. Oceania: Carstensz Pyramid 16,023 feet (4884 meters)