A Qatari Woman Set to make historic Sagarmatha (Everest) Ascent
A Qatari woman Sheikha Asma Sheikha Al Thani is on a quest to complete the Explorers Grand Slam–reaching the summits of the seven highest mountains in the seven continents and the two poles. After reaching the North Pole, climbing 6,959 metres Mount Aconcagua in South America and 5,895 metres Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Sheikha Asma’s sight is now set on Everest. If she climbs the 8,848.86-metre Sagarmatha, she will also be the first woman from her country to climb the mountain and 472nd from the world, from the Nepal side. A total of 6,507 mountaineers have climbed Everest, which straddles Nepal and China, from the south side since 1953. Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to climb it in 1975.
Sheikha Asma, The director of marketing and communications for the Qatar Olympic Committee will travel to Nepal on 1 April to begin her trek to Everest Basecamp for acclimatisation, before attempting to summit Everest in mid-May if conditions allow. Asma of the Qatari royal family said she also wants to demonstrate women’s empowerment in Qatar while inspiring a new generation of women across the region to dream bigger. An avid adventurer, Sheikha Asma has already completed three of the nine Explorers Grand Slam challenges.
“I want to become the first woman from the Middle East to complete the Explorers Grand Slam, and summiting Everest is just a milestone on my journey to inspire others to push past their limits, break down barriers and live their dreams,” she wrote on her website.
