Doha: Mountaineer and philanthropist Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani, popularly known as Moe Al Thani, has become the first Qatari to summit Ama Dablam mountain, despite Covid-19 obstacles.
In an audio clip recorded at Ama Dablam, 6,812 meters, and posted on Instagram he said that “the climb was tougher than Everest.” He summited the mountain on November 11, 2020.
“We made it after a long 11 hours climb. We are all good and will be heading down now. Thank you all for the love and support and will see you all soon, he added on his Instagram post.
Moe is a Qatari philanthropist, mountaineer, entrepreneur, and sportsman. He is the first Qatari to climb to the top of Mount Everest and reach the Seven summits of the world. Moe has dedicated himself to push his limits by being the first Qatari to reach the Explorers Grand Slam (conquering the 7 summits and the South and North Pole). He is on the last leg of a long journey to gain the Grand Slam title, to become one of only 50 people in history and the first Qatari to ever reach this title.
This particular climb is motivated by his passion to inspire others. He hopes this climb will motivate people to step out of the mental prison this pandemic has put us in and to follow their passions and dreams responsibly.
Furthermore, he hopes this expedition will encourage the local Nepali people, who have not seen tourists in nearly eight months. Before his arrival and during his time at Sagarmatha National Park, home to Ama Dablam, Moe and his team interviewed and spoke to the cab drivers, porters, expedition guides, shop owners, and business owners affected by the travel restrictions due to COVID-19. He is planning to tell their stories to the world, to share their experiences and unique challenges during this unprecedented global epidemic with an upcoming documentary to be released on YouTube.
“Ama Dablam is one of the most beautiful peaks in the world and is the first mountain that took Moe Al Thani’s breath away. Since 2009, he knew that when the opportunity presented itself he would be ready for the climb to the top. Although COVID-19 had already cancelled his much-anticipated expedition to the North Pole and 2020 did not look like the year for expeditions, amongst high-level sportsmen and sportswomen there is always a will. COVID-19, however, still presented its challenges in planning this expedition. A trip that normally takes 3 weeks became a 5-week trip, with Covid-19 policies changing last minute in Nepal,” a statement said.
Moe Al Thani was joined by Garrett Madison (Madison Mountaineering) lead guide, Elia Saikaly (award-winning filmmaker), Jen Drummon (mountaineer) and Pasang Kaji Sherpa (mountaineer guide) to reach the Ama Dablam summit on November 11, 2020.
