With her ascent of Carstensz Pyramid, the highest peak in Indonesia, marking the final leg of her 10-year climbing journey, Qatari Sheikha Asma Al Thani proudly announced to the world that she has completed the Explorers Grand Slam, becoming the first Arab and Qatari woman to achieve this extraordinary feat.
Her journey spanned a decade, during which she earned numerous titles and was hailed by the media as the Qatari mountaineering legend.
Sheikha Asma embarked on a mission to fulfil her dreams and dared to achieve the impossible by climbing the highest peaks on each continent and skiing to both the North and South Poles — a challenge accomplished by fewer than 75 people worldwide.
Her mountaineering journey began with a noble cause: raising funds to build schools in the Gaza Strip, a project initiated by her cousin, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Thani, the first Qatari to climb Mount Everest and Ama Dablam.
In case you’re wondering about Sheikha Asma Bint Thani Al Thani’s future plans after completing such an achievement, she revealed that she wishes to climb all 14 of the 8,000-meter peaks, of which she has already conquered seven.
Sheikha Asma Bint Thani Al Thani is a member of Qatar’s ruling family and serves as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Qatar Olympic Committee. In September 2024, she was appointed Vice President of the Gender Equality Committee at the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
Sheikha Asma is a trailblazing mountaineer who has made significant achievements in high-altitude climbing. In 2022, she became the only Arab woman to climb Kanchenjunga and is distinguished as the first Arab to have scaled three 8,000-meter peaks in less than a month. She has successfully climbed six of the Seven Summits and skied to both the North and South Poles, making her the only Arab female to accomplish this feat.
Sheikha Asma is also known for her humanitarian efforts, having raised the flag of UNHCR on numerous peaks, including Everest, Lhotse, Kanchenjunga, Vinson, and K2, to raise awareness for the refugee cause. Notably, she is the only woman in the world to have climbed the true summit of Manaslu without supplemental oxygen.
In May 2024, she achieved another historic milestone by becoming the first Arab to conquer two 8,000-meter peaks without oxygen, further solidifying her status as a pioneering figure in the world of mountaineering and a role model for women in sport and beyond.
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