Expeditions

After an adventurous two months of adrenaline filled journey in my quest to reach the top of the world, I became the First Qatari to Summit Mount Everest and proudly raised my Qatari flag on top of the Summit of Mount Everest at an altitude of 8,848 m. I was accompanied by the “Arab With Altitude” group comprising  four of my friends :  Palestinian Raed Zidan, Iranian Masoud Mohamed, Saudi Arabian Raha Muharrak and videographer Elia Saikaly.

Mt. Everest is one of the harshest environments on the planet, completely unpredictable and filled with uncertainty. It is one of the most difficult and arduous challenges a human being can undertake and is the ultimate symbol of human potential.

The peak of Mount Everest is not only the roof of the world, but is a place where the soul ascends while standing witness to one of the most charming and beautiful natural landmarks.

Aconcagua

Feet : 22840,   Meters : 6962,  Location : Argentina, South America

The highest point in America and the 2nd highest of the seven summits, Mount Aconcagua is located in the Andes mountain range. Being one of the highest non-technical mountains, it is comparatively an easier climb, but only with the right approach. The most important challenge that Aconcagua poses is its extremely cold weather conditions. If not anything else, that’s enough to drain out your enthusiasm…which in a mountaineer’s dictionary reads ‘bad enough’.The expedition set off on 16th Jan 2011 and stretched a whole 3 weeks before i could cherish the amazing view of the Andes range.

Elbrus

Feet : 18,510,   Meters : 5,642,  Location : Russia

On 28^th August 2012, I reached the summit of Mount Elbrus, the tallest peak in Europe at  an altitude of 5,642m. Mount Elbrus is a dormant volcano along the Caucasus mountain range. It has a permanent icecap and, in bad weather conditions, the wind chill effect can reduce temperatures down to -50°C.

Faced with the possibility of extreme conditions including high altitude, fog, wind and extreme cold, on the day of the climb to the summit, I was faced with a tough decision – a storm was brewing that would make conditions considerably worse. When asked by the guide if I wanted to take the risk or wait four days for the weather to improve, I decided to move forward.

Kosciuszko

Feet : 7,310,   Meters : 2,228,  Location : Australia

In comparision with Mount Everest. Mount Kosciuszko as the aboriginals call it “Kozzy”, the highest mountain in Australia standing only at an altitude of only 2,228 metres, around a quarter of the size of Mount Everest, was a piece of cake easy, enjoyable and fun summit to climb or rather hike.

It is located in New South Wales in Australia which is also a local ski area in the Kosciuszko National Park. The drive from Canberra to the national park was about 2h and a half. I enjoyed the beautiful, picturesque mountain views and forests of the Snowy Mountains region. The majority of this drive is through the Kosciuszko National Park, which is recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere.

Vinson Massif

Feet : 16067,   Meters : 4897,  Location : Ellsworth Range, Antarctica

“The Great White Desert”, in the Sentinel Range, Ellsworth Mountains, is the highest mountain in Antarctica and reaches 4,892 meters (16,049 ft) which is on average, the coldest, driest and windiest of all the continents with the highest elevation. A frozen desert with little precipitation, temperatures have reached −89 °C (−129 °F) – cold enough to shatter steel – with wind that may reach over 50 knots. There are no permanent residents with only cold-adapted organisms able to survive. The extreme weather climate of Antarctica makes it’s climbing a serious challenge.

Kilimanjaro

Feet : 19339,   Meters : 5963,  Location : Tanzania, Africa

This snow-covered equatorial mountain situated in the wild of Africa, is the world’s highest free standing mountain. It demands high levels of physical fitness and stamina to climb up this Tanzanian challenge. Of the easy and tough choices that we got, we chose the tougher climb for this expedition. And it did turn out the way we had imagined…tougher than the tough we were ready for.

The high altitude and unpredictable climatic conditions posed more than a reasonable challenge.

Mont Blanc

Feet : 15,782,   Meters : 4810.45,  Location : Western Europe

Mont Blanc, the “white mountain” that stands tall at 4810.45 mtrs above sea level is the pride of the Alps. With an average of 20,000 mountaineering tourists attempting to reach this summit each year, this by far one of the most popular destinations amongst the 7 summits. This may be an easy climb, but it’s a long one & requires good training and physical fitness to reach the top. This was yet another beautiful expedition that I achieved in Sept 2011.

Reaching the Summit of Mont Blanc, I had climbed the highest mountain in Western Europe. With this triumph, I had scaled 3 of the 7 summits of the world….almost half-way through! Covered all the way up with layers after layers of snow, this “White Lady”, stayed true to its pseudonym.

Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world is located in between the borders of Nepal and China. A favourite destination amongst mountaineers, it is also one of the most dangerous in terms of technical climbing. The Everest Base Camp trek is a challenging trek that has been taken up by mountaineers worldwide. It was on one of my river rafting adventures in Nepal that I got a glimpse of this tall statement of nature.