In a world where the potential and capabilities of women are undervalued everyday, women like Nayla Al Baloushi fight to smash the stereotypes and become the pride of their nation. Today, as we commemorate the 51st UAE National Day, we honour the achievements of Nayla, who became the first Emirati woman to climb Mount Everest earlier this year.
The UAE citizen made it to the top of the 8,849-meter summit on May 14, 2022. Even the extreme temperatures couldn’t stop the passionate climber, as she kept going despite the temperature dropping to minus 40 degrees.
Nayla embarked the journey with a Nepalese sherpa guide who accompanied her as she climbed the world’s highest peak. Even though she didn’t take any specific training to set off on this courageous endeavour, her active lifestyle contributed to her success in achieving this inspirational goal. According to her various public interviews, she is an active runner and loves cycling. It took her 10 days to reach the top of world’s highest peak from the base camp.
Nayla Al Baloushi has a record of climbing large mountains, before summiting Mount Everest. In June 2021, she proudly held the flag of her beloved country on top of the 5,140 meters Mount Ararat in Turkey.
In an interview with AE World she described her feelings on the achievement saying: “I wasn’t thinking about anything, I was just so happy to arrive there and I was looking for somewhere to take photos! I went to the top alone just with my Sherpa guide, but there were other people there on the summit when we arrived. All I could see around me were clouds and the other summits below us. I just knew that I really wanted to climb Mount Everest and that was all I was thinking about. I kept that goal in my mind and focused on it until I achieved it.”
