Raha Moharrak has discovered throughout her journey that everyone needs a helping hand. In 2013, she became the first Saudi woman to summit Mount Everest, and now, a decade later, she's preparing to climb the world's tallest mountain again, but this time, with two young women by her side. Moharrak and Adidas collaborated to create a regional tournament that received thousands of applications, from which two young women from the UAE were chosen to join her expedition.
In this AboutHer interview, trailblazing Saudi alpinist @RahaMoharrak talks empowerment, travel plans & emotional mountains: https://t.co/Mo6fxgnNFJ pic.twitter.com/zxmyVrQuAW
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) March 9, 2023
Moharrak has been reflecting on the people who helped her along the way, particularly Marwa Fayed, who co-founded Wild Guanabana, a climbing and trekking company, with her husband Omar Samra. Moharrak met Fayed online, and their conversation inspired Moharrak to meet her in person and pay the down payment to join her first Everest climb. A year later, Moharrak embarked on an expedition to Mount Everest with the group Arabs with Altitude. She was joined by Raed Zidan, the first Palestinian to reach the summit, and by Mohammed Al-Thani, a royal from Qatar, who also became the first person from his nation to climb the peak.
Fayed had wanted to climb Everest too, but tragically, she passed away before she had the chance. Now, Moharrak is paying tribute to Fayed by bringing the Wild Guanabana team with her on her upcoming climb, hoping to keep her legacy alive by inspiring and helping other young women achieve their dreams.
Moharrak's adventurous spirit was instilled in her from a young age, but as an Arab woman, she was told that she couldn't achieve what she has. Now, Moharrak wants to use her platform to lift up the people who have helped her along the way, including her guides, and to inspire and empower other young women. Her ambition is to help others for a living, much like the ones who helped her did, and she hopes to continue climbing mountains and achieving new goals in the future.
