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These Arab Mountain Climbing Women Will Ignite Your Sense of Adventure

Photo: Instagram/@rahamoharrak

Photo: Instagram/@rahamoharrak

Fitness Guru Dannielle Blaker speaks to three inspirational Arab mountain climbing women who have climbed some of the highest and most dangerous mountain peaks in the world. Read on to ignite your inner adventurer.

RAHA MOHARRAK

Photo: Instagram/@rahamoharrak

Photo: Instagram/@rahamoharrak

Climber Raha Moharrak is the youngest Arab and the first Saudi woman to conquer Mount Everest. Other than mountaineering, Moharrak is a sports enthusiast who rides horses, plays tennis, beach volleyball, scuba dives, and plays squash.

How did you get into climbing?
I started 5 years ago when I was 25. My parents wanted me to move back to Saudi from Dubai. I was pressured to get married and to conform to typical Saudi life. I didn’t like being pushed in that direction, and so I decided that I would climb the largest mountains in the world.

Photo: Instagram/@rahamoharrak

Photo: Instagram/@rahamoharrak

What’s been your biggest climbing challenge?
The biggest challenge has been convincing my parents. They weren’t happy when I started climbing, especially as there weren’t many girls from the Gulf climbing at this time. It took a while to get them on board, but it was never an option for me to climb without their blessing. I started with Kilimanjaro, which is less dangerous. From there, I gained their trust and moved onto more dangerous climbs.

Mountains Climbed: Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Vinson, Mount Elbrus, Aconcagua, Kala Pattar, Pico de Orizaba and Iztaccihuatl

MONA SHAHAB

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A half-Saudi, half-Lebanese child psychologist and co-founder of The Empowerment Hub, Mona Shahab is also a mountain junkie with a big heart. Her most recent climb in December 2015 was Mount Vinson in Antarctica. Her seventh climb was dedicated to Mohammed, an 11-year-old boy from Syria battling bone cancer.

How did you get into climbing?
In the early years, I hiked with my parents on holiday in Spain. I believe that this sparked my interest for adventure, nature, and climbing.

What has been your biggest climbing challenge?
The nausea caused from the high altitude is always tough. Apart from the physical aspect, it’s a challenge as a Saudi female to please everyone—as people from Saudi have their own opinions of girls climbing. The good news is that it’s getting easier.

Mountains Climbed: Mount Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, Aconcagua, Mount Vinson

AISHA AL NAAMA

5-arab-mountain-climbing-women-raha-moharrak-mona-shahab-aisha-al-naama

Aisha Al Naama works in the operations department for the committee that’s organizing the 2022 World Cup in Doha. Al Naama is the first Qatari woman to visit the Arctic 78 degrees North. She doesn’t describe herself as an athlete, but instead as someone who enjoys exploring the world, cycling, and yoga.

Photo: Instagram/@aisha.alnaama

Photo: Instagram/@aisha.alnaama

How did you get into climbing?
I hadn’t set out to climb initially. It started with my first adventure trip building a school in the Amazonian jungle in Brazil. When I returned, I was already looking for my next challenge. When I heard that Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani was organizing a trip to Kilimanjaro for a mixed group of Qataris, I knew that I wanted to be part of it. Working towards goals and accomplishing them is what motivates me.

What has been your biggest climbing challenge?
For me, the mental challenge outweighs the physical challenge. Summiting was the toughest as we started at 11pm and we climbed throughout the night in order to see the sunrise at 7am. We were climbing in the dark with just a torch. There are no rest stops, and we had to keep moving. The lack of sleep and the cold can be demotivating; however having the support of the people climbing—especially the guides—really helped me get through it.

Mountain Climbed: Mount Kilimanjaro

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