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On the top
of
Africa
An impressive view above
the clouds, incredible
distances without anything
limiting the view, and a
feeling of indescribable
happiness.
This is how Isabella Drakulic describes the
moment when she climbed to the highest
peak in the African continent know as the
Uhuru Peak. After several days of climbing
the 5,895 metres of the Kibo, the feeling is
one of pleasure and relief for this achieve-
ment. Kibo, the highest mountain in Africa,
is one of the “Seven Peaks” of the Kiliman-
jaro mountain range in Tanzania.
Discovering your own limits
What motivated Drakulic, a member of
Alpine’s marketing team, was her desire to
test her own limits. As an enthusiastic athle-
te, she prepared for this expedition with a
lot of training, especially strength training.
The lack of oxygen at high altitudes
provokes insomnia and aggravates
physical and mental exhaustion.
It is a very real risk
“Even then, it is impossible to know if your
body will be able to tolerate increasing alti-
tudes. The challenge of mountain climbing
is to climb gradually every day”, Drakulik
explained to us.
Even if you train sufficiently every day befo-
re your departure, you can never be really
sure if your body will be able to tolerate he
altitude or if you will be able to reach the
summit. The lack of oxygen because of the
high altitudes makes you sleepy and ag-
gravates physical and mental exhaustion. It
is a real risk since the climb requires great
efforts: the long trip to Tanzania in eastern
Africa, all the equipment that is required,
and then you must also be in shape and
this requires a lot of prior physical training.
A trip combining sports and culture
The western Alps certainly have sufficient
mountains and demanding climbs to satisfy
the need for adrenaline. Nevertheless, for
Isabella Drakulic the most appealing part of
this adventure is to combine with a physical
challenge, a foreign culture, and a trip to
the African continent. As soon as you land,
Isabella (second on the left) at Uhuru Peak, the highest in Africa.