The Summit!

The Summit!

Arabs With Altitude are standing on top of the world.

Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani, Raed Zidan, and Masoud Mohammed, three friends whose mission to climb Everest began four years ago, arrived on the Summit together at 10:00AM, May 22nd. They are the only team currently at the Summit, and they are enjoying having the view from the top of the world all to themselves.

They were led to the Summit by guides Michael Horst and Vern Tejas. The team was filmed along the way by cameraman and friend Elia Saikaly. And they couldn’t have completed the climb without the help of their summit Sherpa, Kami Rita, Phur Temba, Ang Pemba, Lakpa Nuru, Namwang Jangbu, Fura Kancha, and Passang Kajee.

It was a historic climb for Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani, as he became the first Qatari to climb Everest. Likewise for Raed Zidan who became the first Palestinian man to reach the Summit.

The team wishes to thank all their family and friends who supported them along the way and helped make their dream become a reality. They could not have done it without you, and they thank you!

Now begins their descent back to Camp 4 at the South Col. I’ll continue to post updates of their progress as they head down the mountain and begin their journey home.

-Adam Sobel from Base Camp

Arabs With Altitude Are at the South Summit

Arabs With Altitude have reached the South Summit of Mt. Everest. They now stand only 100 meters beneath the top of the world!

Lead Guide Michael Horst says that all climbers are doing well.

They’ll now traverse the Hillary Step, at which point the Summit itself should come into view just 50 meters away.

The weather conditions are absolutely perfect–a crisp, clear blue sky with nary a cloud in sight, and wind speeds hovering around 20 miles per hour.

The next update will come from the Summit of Mt. Everest in roughly 2 hours.

Stay tuned!

-Adam Sobel from Base Camp

Arabs With Altitude Are at The Balcony

Arabs With Altitude lead guide Michael Horst just checked in from The Balcony on Everest at 8,300m.

He reports all climbers are moving “smooth and steady” and that the push to the summit is going well.

They are now headed for the South Summit at nearly 8700m. Then it’ll be onward to the Hillary Step, and finally the Summit itself!

The next update will come when the team is at the South Summit in approximately 4-5 hours.

-Adam Sobel from Base Camp

The Summit Push Is On

At 10pm sharp Arabs With Altitude began their final push to the summit of Mt. Everest.

Lead Guide Michael Horst reported the weather conditions as “pretty close to perfect” as they walked out of their tents in the South Col and started their all-night journey to 8,848 meters. The sky is clear. The stars are out. Temperatures are moderate. And the wind is calm.

Good luck to the team, the guides, and the Sherpas!

Next update will come when the team reaches The Balcony after approximately 3-4 hours of climbing.

-Adam Sobel from Base Camp

Preparing for the Summit

Arabs With Altitude reached Camp 4 yesterday. They’re feeling good and resting at 7900 meters with a stunning view of Everest from their tent window.

The expedition has spent the past 24 hours analyzing weather conditions for a summit climb. The forecast is favorable, with winds in the 15-25 mile per hour range. Although gusts could exceed 30 miles per hour, these wind conditions are manageable for a summit push. The temperature should be around -20 C, surprisingly warm for 8000+ meters.

The team is preparing to wake up tonight at 8:30pm, eat “breakfast,” and depart for the summit at 10pm. There’s still a chance the plan will change, but as of right now, the team is looking to stand on the top of the world the morning of May 22nd.

Earlier today Moe posted an audio update from the South Col. It’s funny and heartfelt, and definitely worth listening to. Click here to listen.

Once the climb begins I’ll be posting updates to the blog every few hours. Stay tuned and wish the team luck on making their dream a reality.

-Adam Sobel from Base Camp

Mount Everest 2013

Arabs with Altitude…

Arabs With Altitude at Camp 3

Scaling 700m of glacial blue ice, Arabs With Altitude safely made their way to Camp 3 today. Camp 3 sits directly on the steep Lhotse Face. Platforms for the tents must be chipped out of the ice, and anchored into a 30-degree slope.

Tonight, the team will hydrate and rest in preparation for tomorrow’s climb to Camp 4 at the South Col, less than 1000m from the summit.

The guys have been in high spirits since hearing the news that Arabs With Altitude teammate Raha Moharrak summited Mt. Everest yesterday. She is the first female from Saudi and the youngest Arab to climb Everest. The team crossed paths with Raha on the mountain today and congratulated her on an amazing achievement.

The weather has been perfect for climbing, and hopefully the conditions will continue to cooperate. May 22nd is the target date for summiting. Every day brings the summit closer for Moe, Raed, and Masoud, and they are anxious to take their turn on the top of the world.

-Adam Sobel at Base Camp

Mount Everest 2013

Arabs with Altitude…

Resting at Camp 2

The summit push is on for Arabs With Altitude. The team headed into the Khumbu Icefall at 4am yesterday, beginning their 3rd and final rotation up Everest. Unlike other forays up the mountain, the team did not stop to sleep in Camp 1, but instead scaled an extra 500 meters to Camp 2.

It was a long, gruelling climb, but all members of the team made it safely. Today they are resting and building their strength for tomorrow’s steep climb up the Lhotse Face to Camp 3 at 7200 meters.

The team is still on schedule to summit May 21st-23rd. The weather forecasts are looking favorable, with wind speeds decreasing over the coming week.

– Adam Sobel at Base Camp

The Final Push

The time has come for our summit push, tomorrow early morning the team will be heading up directly to camp 2. I will be a long day crossing the Khumbu Ice fall and then cross the Western Cwm.

Landing at base camp, or home for me for the last few weeks was great. Being in Namche for a few days gave us a lot of energy but at the same time took our mind away from the summit a bit especially with all the perks we got there. Now at base camp we have the summit in sight and can not wait to actually start the push.

Yesterday we had our oxygen school, tried our masks, put on our cylinders, being a scuba diver it feels somewhat the same technique. I felt everything is happening so fast after that. All the summit talks, what to wear, what to bring what to eat etc.…

We have a preferred summit day of the 21st depending on weather and crowd. By pushing for the summit tomorrow morning we have a few options of summit days. We have 21-23 as possible summit days, we will take it day by day and decide when to shoot.

Our proposed itinerary for the next few days is as follows: We move to camp2 early in the morning, and then spend a rest day in camp2. Then move to camp3 and camp4, spend a rest day at camp4 on oxygen before pushing for the summit on the night of the 20th reaching the summit on the 21st inshala.

I will be audio blogging as much as I can, depending on the way I feel and the weather. On the other hand my good friend Adam Sobel will be updating my blog from base camp during the summit push. He will be updating every 3hrs or so to keep you all posted with our updates on the mountain.