Congratulations Fahad Badar!
Just planning a hike to the Mount Everest raises the adrenaline levels of many mountain climbers. And the Qatari youth Fahad Badar is no different in experiencing the blood rush of a life-changing challenge. Fahad recently became the first Arab to climb the dangerous peak of Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse in one single trip.
Fahad climbed the treacherous peaks of Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse with a group of 30 other travellers. The Ministry of Culture and Sports confirmed that he was the second Qatari to climb Everest, with the first one being Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Thani, a member of the Qatari House of Al Thani. His climb is significant due to the rising threats looming the expedition to the peaks.
Why is climbing Mount Everest such a challenge?
Mount Everest is not just the highest mountain in the world; it also marks a land that is so inhospitable, even the well-prepared tend to lose ground. This is because of a number of reasons such as:
- Altitude sickness - As the climbers ascend in height, the amount of oxygen in the air vastly reduces. Some of the climbers cease to feel like themselves when their bodies stop adapting to the limited oxygen supply. The limit at which the human body can adjust naturally to the lack of oxygen is at 8,000m (known as Death Valley point at Mount Everest).
- Frigid temperatures - At every 100m of height, the temperature cools by 0.65 degrees Celsius. During night time, the climbers cannot lie still with their bodies freezing if it doesn't get movement.
- Weather and natural disasters - While weather is mostly foreseeable, certain events like sudden avalanches and snow storms have been reported at the peak. Also, there are several dangerous crevasses through which, when passing, even the experienced trekker might fall through.
Due to all these constraints, only the expert climber can survive the mountain. That too, they will have to be extra vigilant with their footwork, double check all knots and karabiners, and have a significant amount of experience trekking on snow and ice.
Mount Lhotse
This peak is the fourth highest mountain in the world, standing at 8,516m, right behind Everest, K2 and Kangchenjunga. It is a part of the Everest massif. The base camp of the mountain is located on a moving glacier which is 5,200m above sea level.
With such conditions, the Qatari are filled with justifiable pride when their fellow youth climbed the two peaks. Fahad raised the flag of the country upon reaching the two summits, a gesture of true nationalist pride and inspiration.