Danah Al Ali Becomes First UAE Woman to Scale Mount Everest in 24 Hrs
Danah Al Ali has climbed Mount Everest and nearby Lhotse in only 24 hours, becoming the first Emirati woman to achieve this fresh record.
One of the most dangerous treks in the world, Mount Everest has already claimed more than 300 lives.
Danah Al Ali, a mother of two, disregarded the dangers on May 24th to become the first Emirati woman to summit both peaks in a single day.
Al Ali's thoughts wandered to her children, Hamdan Al Remeithi, 15, and Elyazia Al Remeithi, 14, who were waiting at home as she unrolled the UAE flag from her backpack and raised it into the wind on the summit of Lhotse. She also considered the importance of her accomplishment.
“The biggest challenge was leaving my children,” Al Ali told The National after arriving back in Abu Dhabi.
“Your brain doesn’t stop, so my mind was always with them while they were with my parents. Even on the mountain you miss your family, and some people ended their expedition early because it is such a long time away from home,” she said.
Al Ali advised waiting patiently for the ideal weather window, paying attention to your guides, and having faith in them if you want to succeed on a climb.
“We left for the summit at 1am and reached Everest about 10.30am, then set off for Lhotse four hours later,” she said.
“It was an incredible experience,” she said, adding that she opted to climb both mountains because she had “unfinished business” with Lhotse.
Ninety-six women attempted to climb Everest this year, including Al Ali, but only a select few took on the peak-to-peak challenge to also climb Lhotse, the fourth-highest mountain in the world.
She departed the UAE on April 26th and arrived at Everest Base Camp on May 14th. She planned for a favourable weather window anticipated between May 23rd and 25th.
It was a quiet day, with just our team up there,” she said.
“The weather was perfect, the sun was out, which was very lucky because it was super cold in the previous weeks, with temperatures down to about -20ºC.”
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Al Ali said she wanted her climb to inspire others.
“I was only the second Emirati woman to summit Everest and the first to climb both, it was an amazing feeling,” she said.
“Unveiling the Emirati flag was an incredible moment.”
The expedition, which cost roughly $85,000, was paid for through sponsorship, including money from Top of Her Game, an initiative that supports active, aspirational, and resilient women. Thuraya, Aldar, and Adnoc were additional sponsors.
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Image credit: The National