LION HEART ... Steve Berry, right, with his nephew Rhys English, at the start of their ascent of Kilimanjaro.

A SOUTH Tyneside mountaineer has pulled off his craziest climb yet – by scaling the same mountain twice in two weeks.

Steve Berry flew to Tanzania last month to lead an expedition up Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa.

And after successfully navigating the peak with 17 students and two teachers – and with the help of local porters and cooks – he returned to the top of the 19,341ft mountain with his 17-year-old nephew, Rhys Berry English.

The pair, from South Shields, scaled the mountain unaided – which caused quite a stir amongst other climbers and the authorities, who thought they were mad to do it alone.

Steve, who contacted the Gazette from a beach in Tanzania, is delighted to have climbed Kilimanjaro with his nephew.
He said: “My Tanzanian odyssey is almost over, and it has certainly been an unforgettable experience.

“Climbing the mountain with a group of students was a first for me – having the responsibility of looking after others and leading them up Africa’s highest peak in itself was a big ask, but coming back with my nephew, Rhys, to climb it unsupported by a different route – I suppose you could call me crazy!

“The two climbs were completely different.

“The group was fully supported on the first one, which makes climbing at high altitude so much easier and achievable for most people.

“However, the second was on a different route and was a very different ask.”

Rules state that you must climb Kilimanjaro with an official guide, and trying to arrange it for just Steve and South Tyneside College student Rhys to climb proved difficult.

Steve, 56, added: “The park rangers just couldn’t grasp that we didn’t require porters and that we would be self-sufficient.

“At one point just before we were about to start the climb, the rangers refused to authorise the expedition.

“It was a nightmare, but with a bit of gentle persuasion and grovelling, they eventually gave us the all-clear!

“During the climb, Rhys and I were becoming well-noticed by the porters and guides from the other groups.

“At first they were thinking that we wouldn’t succeed because we were carrying all our own kit.

“As the days passed, we started to earn their respect and I was told they nicknamed me Simba the Lion – I was pleased with that!”

Climbing Kilimanjaro was part of Steve’s mission to complete the Seven Summits – the tallest mountains in each of the seven continents.

He previously scaled Alaska’s Mount Denali, Mount Everest in the Himalayas, Mount Kosciuszko in Australia and Argentina’s Aconcagua.

His next expedition will be to Mount Elbrus in Russia, which will leave only Vinson Massif in Antarctica to climb.