What to know

Qatar Has Its Flag On The World’s Seven Summits

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani at the top of Denali, the first Qatari to reach the seven summits - Qatar Foundation

A new world achievement has been recorded in Qatar’s name. Reach Out to Asia Goodwill Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani became the first Qatari to climb the World’s Seven Summits.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani is a Qatari entrepreneur, mountaineer, philanthropist, photographer, sportsman and co-founder of UAE-based travel portal Musafir.com. Last month he became the first Qatari, and one of only 350 people to scale the world’s highest seven summits across seven continents.

Facing blistering cold close to -35 degrees Celsius, and winds with speeds up to 80 km/h, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani raised the Qatari flag on summit of Denali, Alaska on June 3.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, the first Qatari to reach the seven summits - Qatar Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, the first Qatari to reach the seven summits – Qatar Foundation

 

The trip to the bottom of the mountain itself is a hassle for most people. Al Thani had to travel to Seattle, USA, from UAE. Then he had to fly to Anchorage, Alaska to get on a bus for four hours to Talkeetna City, to take a private jet to the initial climbing spot.

The climb up to Denali summit is a 6,190 meter high hike/climb, under some of Earth’s most challenging climates. He faced the extreme conditions for 28 days, but it wasn’t the first difficult journey Al Thani took.

The Seven Summit challenge is the achievement of reaching the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. First achieved on April 30, 1985 by Richard Bass, the summits include Mount Everest in Asia, the peak of which is 8,848 meters above sea level, Mount Aconcagua in South America, which rises 6,962 meters above sea level, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa with a height of 5,895 meters, Mount Elbrus in Europe standing 5,642 meters high, Vinson Massif in Antarctica at 4,897 meters and 2,228 meters high Mount Kosciusko in Australia.

You Might Also Like