Monde Sitole might seem an unlikely adventurer but the 25-year-old man from Khayelitsha, Cape Town, has overcome numerous obstacles to reach for the clouds - on all seven continents.
Originally from Port Elizabeth, Sitole has sailed, skied and climbed mountains all over the world. He aims to climb the world's highest peaks and ski to both the North and South poles.
His love for adventure has driven him to start the Desert Rose Adventure Club, in Khayelitsha. The club takes at-risk youngsters out of the township and gives them life lessons in a natural setting.
"We want to give birth to highly informed, highly compassionate young people," said Sitole.
He became involved in extreme sports by accident.
"I was at the Khayelitsha festival in 2008 and met Diane Dreke [of Cape Windjammers, an organisation that teaches underprivileged children to sail]. She told me of an opportunity to attend school on a tall [sail-masted] ship.
"I applied and was one of 10 chosen for the programme. We sailed from Cape Town to Namibia, then St Helena, Fernando de Noronha [near Brazil], and Trinidad," said Sitole.
Three months before his first sea voyage, Sitole could not swim.
He applied to the Mike Horn Explorers' Programme, in Switzerland, and was selected for classes in adventuring, conservation and environmental protection.
"It was then that I fell in love with mountain climbing," said Sitole.
"I've climbed Kilimanjaro twice and I recently came back from Mount Denali, in Alaska."
For Sitole, mountains have a spiritual aspect.
"While imprisoned on Robben Island, Mandela used to say that Table Mountain was his beacon of hope.
"When you climb a mountain, you have this sense that you can achieve anything. When you're in the township, you cannot realise your full potential."
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