Mt. Everest 2005: South African Alex Harris summits Everest

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Update: Mt. Everest 2005: South African Alex Harris summits Everest! and Sibusiso Vilane Summits for the second time. Climbing with the British commercial group on the North side, veteran South African guide Alex Harris summited Everest and Sibusiso Vilane summited for the second time last Friday. Alex was quoted as saying, "Last Friday, early in the morning, God let me look at the world through his eyes," Harris said. "And it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen."

Update June 3rd, 2005: Sibusiso Vilane, the first black African to summit Everest,  has done it again! It is reported that he summited this morning at 06h40 local time.

Background

Sibusiso Vilane will be returning to the Himalayas to attempt to summit Mt. Everest from the North Ridge—the more difficult and statistically less-successful side.  In 2003 Vilane, a 34-year-old game ranger, father of three and native of South Africa and Swazi, became the first black man to summit Mount Everest. The goal of Vilane’s climb this year is to raise money for three children's charities: The Birth to Twenty Research Programme at Wits University, the Africa Foundation and the SOS Children's Village in Swaziland. Vilane will be climbing with South African Alex Harris and world-renowned explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. When Vilane returns from his climb he hopes to be more involved in public speaking—specifically to motivate and inspire children.

Undaunted by a full day in Everest’s “death zone” Vilane was reported still elated by his experiences atop Everest when he touched down at London’s Heathrow Airport. He spent some time resting in Britain before returning to a hero’s welcome in South Africa

Mt. Everest 2005: Sir Ranulph Fiennes will also be a memeber of this commercial expedition

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