View FROM THE TOP

At 8 000m above sea level, the human body starts to decay – cell by cell. The higher a mountaineer climbs, the more oxygen levels decrease, starving the brain and lungs, and ultimately leading to death. On Mount Everest in Nepal, climbers reach this altitude at Camp IV – around 172km from the summit. With oxygen levels already 40% lower than at sea level, it is a race against the clock to reach the summit and return in one piece.

In 2017, South African mountaineer Saray Khumalo had basically been left for dead shortly after reaching Camp IV – infamously known as ‘The Death Zone’.

‘I had a real shot at the summit; unfortunately, it was really windy that day so we couldn’t go any further. I saw that my Sherpa, Nawang, was struggling as much as I was, so I said to him: “I’ve got extra oxygen; why don’t we