Facing Everest – Alex Harris

CSI blog
Last Friday marked 11 years to the day that Xplore founder Alex Harris stood on the summit of Mount Everest. It culminated a 15 year journey to climb the Seven Summits, with three expeditions to Everest and almost 180 days on the mountain! That journey began in the early 90’s when a young man fresh out of school stood on top of Kilimanjaro and wondered if he could emulate that moment on the highest mountain on all seven continents! And so began the Seven Summits journey. Nothing in life worth anything comes easy, and any journey worth taking will not be a short one. But sometimes, the hardest journey will begin with the easiest of steps. We need only to take that first step.
This philosophy has been at the heart of Xplore. To help people break the shackles of a normal life, and do something extraordinary! We will each face our own Everest, and contrary to what we think, the biggest challenge will not be that great big icy peak standing in front of us, soaring into the clouds. No. The biggest challenge will be deep inside. That growing mountain of doubt when we face a disbelieving world, and try desperately to hang on to that small spark of belief. This, will be your Everest. What are you waiting for?
In August, Alex will be taking groups to both Kilimanjaro and Elbrus in Russia, and there are still a few places left. If you want to begin this journey, then give Alex a call. You never know where it might lead you. Also, for the last three years South Africans have watched the Rand lose 50% of its value. To mitigate the cost risk to locals, Xplore have not put their prices up in all this time and in one or two instances, have actually decreased the package price. Obviously to do this on an ongoing basis is simply not tenable as all our land based costs are in dollars. This means that next year will be the first time in four years that Xplore increase their package prices. It also means that increasingly over the last few years, more and more of our clients are sourced abroad. Our commitment though, to our local clients is to add more value and time to an already exciting value proposition!
There is another anniversary of sorts. This year marks 20 years that Alex has been speaking on the circuit. Way back in 1996, Alex led his first expedition to Everest. In a year than has been well documented and stands apart as arguably the most notorious in Everest’s history, Alex led a small team to the North side without Sherpas or Oxygen. On his return he was broke and unemployed, and indebted to sponsors for another 15 months! So, with no alternative, he put his passion into motion. Standing in front of a small group from Aegis Insurance (remember them!) , he delivered his first Everest talk and charged R650. The rest, as they say, is history and since then Alex has shared his tales of passion and purpose from Dallas to Dubai, Munich to Beirut, Lebanon and all the way to Sydney.
For the remainder of this year, book Alex for a speaking engagement and receive a 50% discount. Whether its a high performance team on a new journey or a sales team starting out, if you’re looking for someone authentic who really has been there, then book Alex now!
2016 Schedule
5th August:
Kilimanjaro climb
19th August:
Mount Elbrus climb in Russia
2nd September:
Scotland Whisky Mountain bike tour
9th September:
Tibet Mountain bike tour
30th November:
The Munga Mountain bike race
9th December:
Kilimanjaro climb
29th December:
Mount Vinson climb in Antarctica
10th January:
Mount Aconcagua climb
19th January:
Empty Quarter Desert Trek
So, what are you waiting for? Pop us a mail or give me a shout on +27 83 383 7378 if something here strikes your fancy. Before you know it, it will be 2017!

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