Sheikha Asma: First Arab athlete to reach the summit of Mount Kangchenjunga

KATHMANDU: Qatari mountaineer Sheikha Asma Al-Thani has become the first Arab athlete to reach the summit of Mount Kangchenjunga – world’s third highest mountain located in Nepal at an elevation of 8,586 meters.

Sheikha Asma narrated her experience on Instagram and said she was humbled to be the first Arab to summit Kanchenjunga.

“I’d been sick for a couple of days and was worried I wouldn’t make it. But trying is always better than not, right?”
“In 2 days we summited the magnificent Kanchenjunga. From camp 2, we began our summit push. We proceeded to Camp 3, passing Camp 4 on our way up toward the summit.”

“Although Kanchenjunga is the world’s third highest mountain, it is famous for its extremely long summit push. And it was a long one. Before we reached the summit, the day turned into night and back again.”

“Perseverance is something I learned to value on this mountain. Perseverance in the pursuit of my goal. Fighting the inner demons that tell you that you can’t make it. In order to succeed, you must be willing to keep searching for light in the darkest of places, even when it appears impossible. I decided to go ahead and do it, and so we did.”

Sheikha Asma continued, “I had a strong team behind me. United by brotherhood and lead by Nirmal Purja. Their attention to detail, the strength they had and the helping of one another was inspiring. We shared every step to the summit and back.”

“I am humbled to be the first Arab to summit Kanchenjunga, hopefully to many more.”