The Sowetan - 15 Oct 2007

There is much more to South Africa’s record-breaking mountaineer Deshun Deysel than just scaling the peaks of the world’s highest mountains.

This businesswoman, motivational speaker and charity worker took time out from her busy schedule to chat to Sowetan’s Bruce Fraser

DD: Ever since I was a young girl of eight or nine I wanted to be a mountaineer. I saw a documentary on Sir Edmund Hillary conquering Mount Everest and this had a definite impact on me. That is where the inspiration was born.

BF: And your first big break in mountaineering?

DD: I saw the Everest Expedition advertised in 1995 and thought “why not” and applied. I honestly didn’t think I would be accepted but sent the application off anyhow. To my shock I was chosen to be part of the team.

BF: How did you prepare?

DD: Obviously you have the physical conditioning. I spend at least two hours a day in the gym doing a lot of cardio work and strength conditioning. But really the best way to train for a mountain is to climb mountains. Even your emotional state is so important. You have to put yourself into a zone and not let your feelings get in the road of your goal and ambition. You must concentrate solely on the task at hand.

BF: Explain the logistics of climbing Everest?

DD: To climb Mount Everest is an 18 month project. There is an enormous amount of preparation that goes into it – not only from a training point of view. You will normally fly to Katmandu, the capital of Nepal, about three to four months beforehand. From there you fly to Lucra and then you walk to the base camp of Everest, which takes between nine to 12 days. This becomes your home during the duration of the climb. It is here that you begin to acclimatise.

For the first three weeks you trek back and forth from base camp to camp one. After that it is a case of trekking further up the mountain to camps two and three. After two to three months of acclimatising you are now ready to make an ascent on the highest point and enter the “death zone”.

BF: Explain the “death zone”?

DD: This is an altitude of about 8000 metres. Even though you are on supplementary oxygen you don’t think straight. On summit day you spend 10 to 16 hours in the death zone. Your body is physically imploding and fighting for life. You feel so weak. Imagine not eating for a day and multiply that by 30. Until you have been there you cannot imagine how weak your are.

BF: Most deaths occur on the descent, why is this?

DD: What you have to remember is the end goal is not the summit – that is only halfway – the end goal is to make your way back down alive. In 1996, Bruce Herrod, who was part of our expedition, died on the way down. He basically gave up and sat down. A year later his body was found in the same sitting position. You become so weak you don’t care if you live or die.

BF: Are there many bodies up there?

DD: I came across a few. It is a reminder of what can happen if you are not careful. As mountaineers we go there knowing the risks.

BF: In 2003 you attempted Mount Everest again?

This time I got to within 550 metres of the top and we were forced to turn back – 18 months of preparation down the drain because the weather turned against us. It was a tough decision considering what we put into it. Basically it just wasn’t meant to be. You have such mixed emotions. Grateful the physical challenge is over and relief you can at last take a hot bath, brush your hair, rest your feet. Every ounce of your body is aching. You’ve given it your everything but in the end it drops you to your knees.

BF: How did you get into motivational speaking?

When I came back from Everest I was amazed at how many people wanted to hear my story. One of the talks I give is called, “From couch potato to mountaineer”.

BF: Explain

DD: I went through a period of depression in my life. I had very little money, not many friends, no car and was still living with my parents. I then decided to go backpacking through Europe and in six weeks I visited 13 countries. I came back a changed person … knowing I can make my dreams come true. I came home realising you don’t have to have money to make your dream come true, you just have to have a dream and that costs nothing.

BF: And what do you do today?

I speak at a lot of corporate functions. In a way leading a team up a mountain is similar to leading a team in business. I get to climb mountains and then talk about them.

So far I have lectured in a number of overseas countries – the United States, Spain, Canada, Germany and the UK.

In between my motivational talks I run a TV production company so a lot of time is spent in meetings.