'There ain't no mountain high enough..'

Mountaineer Deshun Deysel was the first black South African woman to climb Mount Everest.  But, as she shares with us, that's not the only steep hill she's traversed and peaked...

Deshun Deysel is one of those lucky few women who needs to consume copious amounts of chocolate in order to do her job well.   As a mountaineer, she needs to gain about seven kilograms before embarking on climbing expeditions, but once she reaches the top and back, all the extra weight is off!
"People always have such funny reactions when I tell them that I climb mountains - mose are astounded to discover that I actually scale "real" mountains like Everest! I think it's because I'm not six foot tall nor do I have a beard! 
I was a school teacher fo about five years and then spent
11 years in the training/consulting industry which is the focus of my business.   My expertise is building performance models to help people reach greater heights in their lives and work.   Mountaineering cannot be a day job, but it creates the perfect metaphor for my word.
I was born in the little Eastern Cape town of Uitenhage, which is where I also spent my formative years before my family moved to Jo'burg in the '80s.   As a child I decided that I wanted to have the kind of life that would enable me to tell compelling tales of adventure and misadventure.   I was inspired by my grandfather's Jock of the Bushveld-type stories and was a documentary fanatic.  There was no Discovery Channel then - only black and white television!
One Sunday, the doccie of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was on TV and it captivated me!   Both my grandparents were keen royalists, so I knew how the Queen's Coronation coincided with the first successful Mount Everest summit.   I was only nine years old, but decided then and there that I wanted to be an explorer one day...    To add to the mix, my mom bought us Tintin and Asterix comics and I watched a lot of Heidi - all the stimulation I needed to head for the hills!
My first opportunity to get into serious climbing came via an application form in 1996.   Climber Ian Woodall was looking for a South African woman to be part of an otherwise male team, to put the country's flag on top of Mount Everest.   I applied, was accepted and accompanied the team to Everest base camp.   As a team we accomplished our goal, and I even managed to reach Advanced base camp.   I've been climbing ever since!
It's tough.   You need a lot of patience and perseverance and, to be honest, I don't think I'm a brilliant climber.   I struggle quite a bit physically, but, then again, high mountains require more mental strength than physical.   I've often seen how physically strong people give up early because they've convinced themselves that they can't go any further.
And, as a woman, certain times of the month can be quite difficult, especially on a three month-long expedition.  This is something that one has to deal with in spite of your team mates' inability to understand.   What gets me through though is total reliance on God's power.   I constantly pray while climbing, and think that I'm living testimony that God can do amazing things with normal people.  Knowing how climbing fits into my general purpose is an enormous motivator for me, my overall vision for my life keeps me going.
When I feel like giving up, I pray and remind myself of the reasons why I do what I do.   This helps me to take one more step...and another...and another.
But "getting to the top" wasn't easy as I had to overcome a lot of obstacles to turn my dreams into a reality.   After we moved to Jo'burg, I suffered from stress and depression - a result of my then abusive father.  My dad was born a few months after the Second World War, and had to deal with the first onslaught of Apartheid's laws.   This took its toll as he was a difficult father and ruled our home with an iron fist,   It wasn't easy on my family (I have a brother and two sisters), but my difficult childhood years made me a very tough cookie.   Fortunately we've turned things around and now have a strong bond.
Due to my low self-esteem, I ended up in a series of abusive relationships and my life was heading downhill fast.   I had lost sight of my dreams and made very bad choices.   One day, while contemplating suicide, I heard a voice say "What if?".  Those words spurred my imagination to an ideal life, something completely opposite to the one I had before that poignant moment.
I started thinking about how my life would be if all my dreams became a reality - a thought process that changed my life and saved me from an early and senseless death.   I started thinking about the dreams I had as a cild and the travelling I wanted t do.   I was a low-income school teacher then, but somehow managed to go backpacking through Europe with friends.   There I realised that money doesn't make you wealthy; it's what you do with your dreams that does!
I love mountains.   It's my space to reflect on anything and everything.   I get to test human endurance and, at the same time, learn a lot about others and myself.   I always come back a changed person.
I get to travel far and wide, experience exotic countries and interesting cultures - most of which are not on standard tourist routes.   Then, there's the inevitable shopping that follows!   Kathmandu in Nepal is my favourite with its bargain pashminas, cashmere goods, incense and other antiquated finds.

Captions to pics:

• En route to the summit of Mt Elbrus with the Caucasus mountains in the background
• Deshun at the international Laureus World Sports Awards in St Petersburg, Russia, where she mingled with other sporting greats like Roger Federer and Jake White.
• A friend and ambassador for the SA branch of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, Deshun attends many sporting projects aimed at youth,   Here she attends a "Little Champs" event in Alexandra, Johannesburg.