Peak performance in the Peruvian Andes

The Benonian pair, who summitted along with John Black, Robby Kojetin, William Woods and Allan Dickinson, spent almost two weeks up in the mountains and shared their tale with the City Times from Pringle’s Rynfield home, on Sunday, August 30.

“Alpamayo is said to be the most beautiful mountain in the world and is one that all mountaineers know about,” said Eva.

“We have always wanted to climb it; I have been there once before when it was still green and didn’t summit, but it was only two of us of this group who were there.”

Eva has oodles of experience climbing numerous mountains around the globe, and realised that the time was right for this technical climb.

“I try to do a climb every 18 months or so, but now, with the Rand falling through the floor, it might not be that easy to do more,” he said.

“There’s a lot to it [mountaineering], all the time off work, pressure on your family, all the training needed and the build-up to it.

“The next trip probably won’t be a big one, maybe we’ll just go to the Alps to hone our technical skills some more, so that the next big expedition goes a little bit better.”

Eva told the City Times that the team doesn’t really like to climb the well-known, commercial peaks of the world, but rather the mountains that offer the best challenge and serene beauty.

Pringle, who is a lot less experienced at mountaineering than his compatriots, said it was a huge challenge for him, but he enjoyed it immensely.

“It opened my eyes to how technical it gets up there and the toll that altitude takes on your body,” he said.

“The mountain and its scenery is crystal-clear.

“It’s just so amazing to be in an area that’s unpolluted and where there are so few human beings.

“All your senses are heightened and you feel everything.

“There’s cold, there’s hot and there are tough days when you’re just beaten after working so hard.

“It was tiring and emotionally draining, but super satisfying afterwards.”

Eva explained that a person’s body takes time to adjust and acclimatise to the conditions.

“Altitude saps the life out of you and everything you do is just so much harder,” he said.

“Simply tying your shoelaces can leave you out of breath, never mind carrying a 30kg backpack and keeping your buddies alive on the other side of a rope; it’s another level of difficulty, but somehow you can do it – the human body is amazing.”

The Benonian alpinists added that mental toughness is absolutely crucial on an expedition such as this one.

“Mental toughness was a huge thing for me on this trip, more so than the physical part of it,” said Pringle.

“Although we did train hard and put in a lot of effort physically, once you get to this mountain and see this thing in front of you, it’s incredibly daunting.”

“Every day up there is something new,” added Eva.

“You come around the corner and there are new ice-capped peaks that get higher and higher as you get into the mountains.”

When asked to describe what it’s like to reach the pinnacle, Eva replied: “Reaching the top of a mountain is always just the halfway point.

“It’s an exciting place to be because you know that the hard part is done, but you cannot let your guard down, especially on these technical climbs.

“Getting back down is the most dangerous part.

“Keeping your concentration levels up is difficult, as the altitude is tough.

“Chunks of ice are falling and the avalanche risk gets worse as the day goes on.”

He added that the summit of Alpemayo was disappointing in a way, because it was incredibly unsafe up there.

“We couldn’t hang around and take summit photos,

“We just popped on top and went straight back down because it is so dangerous.”

Pringle added: “Where Warren was standing on the top of the mountain, I was probably a metre below him and could see the light through the ice from the other side – that’s how thin it was.

“He was standing at the top and the whole thing actually shook.”

When the golden question of why they do it was posed, Eva replied: “For me, it’s about that simple way of life.

“Being able to push yourself just that little further has always been the big attraction for me.

“You talk about all the suffering and hardships, but the beauty of the trip, the satisfaction of summtting and the camaraderie formed between your mates and climbing partners makes it all worth it.”

Pringle answered: “I just love being out in the wilderness and pushing my body to these limits.”

Not satisfied with simply summitting Alpamayo, Eva and three of his comrades also reached the top of Quitaraju (about 6 040m high).

They also attempted a third peak, Artesonraju (6 025m high), but withdrew due to dangerous conditions.

This particular peak is depicted in the Paramount Pictures live-action logo.

To view some of the spectacular images taken during the expedition CLICK HERE.