The first Emirati climbing team to scale Mount Everest

On May 19, eight military men made history by becoming the first Emirati climbing team to pitch their flag atop Mount ­Everest. The team endured frostbite, altitude sickness, strong winds and temperatures as low as -50°C on their perilous journey. But they say it was worthwhile to inspire others to aim high.
Unlike most climbers, who pay upwards of US$30,000 (Dh110,188.50) to have all their baggage carried by Sherpas, this team lugged their own food, oxygen cylinders and sleeping bags up the colossal, 8,848-metre mountain.
"I think that’s what makes us stand out as the UAE Armed Forces team," explains platoon commander Sheikh Theyab Al Nahyan. "We relied very little on Sherpas – some of the team even reached the summit that day without a Sherpa."
The UAE military announced in 2012 it was forming a team to scale Everest. "The point was to get a bunch of ordinary guys to come together and do something extraordinary," explains military adventure training adviser Gerald Oxley, from the United Kingdom, who helped organise the epic challenge. "We based our selection on mental attitude more than physical ability, because everything else follows on from that."
Seventy-seven applicants responded to advertisements posted on the military net for volunteers, and 50 were ­chosen for ­gruelling training in the Swiss Alps. Twenty-­five made it through for further training trips to ­Norway, Alaska and Morocco.
More than four people die for every 100 who reach Everest’s peak, and the team was under no illusions how difficult the climb would be.
"Coming from a military background, we saw the mountain as an enemy we needed to conquer," says Sheikh Theyab. "We read up about our enemy before going into battle, with books, documentaries and talks from expert climbers. We didn’t want any unexpected surprises."
The team agonisingly sat through the recent movie thriller Everest, a true story about a group of climbers who die in a storm on the mountain. "I worried that we shouldn’t watch the film until we came back, but we decided we could learn some lessons from it," says Sheikh Theyab, who at 26 was one of the youngest of the climbers. "Our families also watched it, so that’s the impression they had of Everest – as a nightmare."
On March 29, the 13 Emiratis still committed to the venture set off from Lukla, Nepal, for the trek to base camp, 5,364 metres above sea level. They arrived on April 12, and four then remained at the camp to offer medical and logistical support.
For the seven Emirati summiteers and one British climbing expert, the next five weeks were spent conducting icefall and acclimatisation training, waiting for a window of calm weather to begin the final ascent.
Although the team had a delegated leader in Hasan Al Naqbi, 33, the entire team got to sharpen their leadership skills.
"I saw the transformation the men went through," says Sheikh Theyab. "Everyone led in their own way."
One of Sheikh Theyab’s roles was that of weatherman. "I gave the weather forecast to the guys before each climb, using online sources," he says. "They blamed me if it wasn’t accurate."
On May 16, the winds dropped, and the team decided to set off in two groups. Hordes of other climbers had the same idea, and the rope leading to the summit was congested, slowing their ­progress.
Sheikh Theyab shared his tent with Nasser Al Blooshi, who was suffering from frostbite in his fingers and toes. Despite the discomfort, Al Nayan says his teammate never considered quitting. "Nasser was one of the strongest members of the team. We spent most of the time encouraging each other. We had to make sure all these years of training didn’t go to waste."

Source: The National