William to climb world’s coldest mountain
A local climber will take on the tallest mountain peak in North America in memory of his wife, who died of leukaemia.
WILLIAM Vermaak has set his sights on conquering Mount Denali, known as ‘the high one’, in a winter solo ascent of the tallest mountain peak in North America, in January 2015.
William’s expedition is a tribute to the tragic loss of his wife and soul mate Margie Devine who died from Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) on 5 May. William lovingly recalls Margie as “a very graceful lady with a playful zest for life, who embraced the love of others and had an inhuman level of courage.”
William and Margie were great mountaineering enthusiasts who shared a special love for The Alaskan Mountain Range which they had previously climbed in summer. William could think of no better way to honour Margie’s legacy than by paying tribute to her courage and tenacity by undertaking this arduous journey up Mount Denali in winter. Boasting a summit elevation of 6168m above sea level base to peak, Mount Denali (Mount McKinley) is considered the largest of any mountain situated entirely above sea level.
With summer summit temperatures that can reach -35C or more with ferocious winds, Mount Denali has long been considered the coldest mountain on earth with an average winter summit temperature of -59.7C and wind chill of -83.4C and even records of -73C with winds of up to 160 km/h which sends the wind chill off the charts.
“There have only been 16 winter summits with six deaths and none solo in the history of Mount Denali. A winter ascent is regarded as insane and a calendar winter ascent of Denali has become a mythical notion,” describes William as he confronts his own mortality and inner mettle.
William aims to raise as much awareness and funds to give hope to patients, like Margie, who are affected by life-threatening blood disorders and need a life-saving bone marrow stem cell transplant. The Sunflower Fund, which recruits potential donors for inclusion on the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR), is the chosen beneficiary of William’s campaign as he champions their worthy cause in honour of his late wife’s passion and courage.
Sponsorships and donations toward this campaign can be made in favour of The Sunflower Fund, ABSA Bank Tokai, Branch Code: 632005, Acc no: 405 183 4719, Reference: DBNM4MDNALI and your full name.
For more information on this campaign, contact Allison Naidoo on 031 266 1148 or email allison@sunflowerfund.org.za.
