UCT alumnus conquers Everest

"Every fibre in my body is fatigued and painful, but my mind is dancing." These were the words of UCT alumnus John Black after he and his team successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest at the end of May.

Black, who obtained his MBA at UCT in 2006, is an accomplished South African mountaineer. He has now completed five of the world's seven summits, including Mount Aconcagua (South America), Mount Elbrus (Europe), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Kosciuszko (Australia) and Mount Everest (Asia).

He climbed the Everest South Col route from Nepal with expedition operators Himalayan Experience and team leader Russel Brice.

After a long and tortuous descent, Black reported on his blog that he had arrived safely back at Everest base camp with all "fingers and toes intact". But, he added, he was "tired, stiff, sore, dehydrated, hungry, and sleepy".