Newsfeed
Nelly Attar, the extreme sports athlete, mountaineer, and wellness advocate, just made history by becoming the first Lebanese woman to summit the five highest mountains in the world: Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, and Makalu.
Her achievement not only cements her place in mountaineering history but also continues to rewrite what it means to be an Arab woman in sport.
Attar is no stranger to milestones. She was the first Arab woman to summit K2, considered to be one of the most dangerous mountains on Earth. Now, with five of the famed peaks under her belt – and over 40 summits across five continents – she’s one step closer to her goal of climbing all 14 of the world’s highest mountains.
What began as a spontaneous goal at the start of the year quickly turned into one of the most ambitious chapters in Nelly’s life.
“At the start of this year, I had basically done Everest, K2 and Lhotse, so the first, second, and fourth highest peaks,” she explained. “What was left was the fifth and the third, and then the idea of doing the top five came about. I thought it would be amazing to do that for now, so I was aiming to do Makalu and then it worked out for me to also do the third-highest peak in the world, which is Kangchenjunga this year.”
With five peaks behind her and nine more to go, Nelly Attar’s journey is far from over. But one thing is for certain: she’s already made history and inspired a generation while doing so.
Leading up to the summits Attar’s training journey was a masterclass in adaptation.
Based in Saudi Arabia, she built her early training plan around hiking out in the desert, climbing tower block staircases, and early‑morning sessions, all for the endurance training needed for the climbs.
As she trained herself for the higher altitudes, she introduced taking ice baths to train her nervous system and to build her resilience against the cold. On peak training weeks, Nelly would train for up to 15 hours across multiple sessions, balancing strength, recovery, and mental fortitude.
“Suffer now, summit later – that’s what keeps me going through hours and hours of training,” she said. “That’s how I built a bulletproof mindset”.
Beyond the summits, Attar is an advocate for women’s empowerment through sport. A former psychotherapist and two-time Guinness World Record holder, she’s also the founder of Saudi Arabia’s first dance studio and has played a pivotal role in shaping the Kingdom’s evolving fitness landscape. Her greater vision is to expand what’s possible for Arab women in sport, and to help communities across the Middle East embrace movement, wellness, and resilience.
As Nelly sets her sights on her next goal of climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks, she continues to serve as a symbol of hope, courage, and ambition for women across the Arab world and beyond.
