Fatima Alawadhi didn’t waste any time making her 2026 goals a reality. Within the first week of the new year, the Emirati teenager pushed beyond every limit — becoming the first Arab teen and the youngest Arab climber to reach the top of Mount Vinson, the highest mountain in Antarctica, on Tuesday 6th January 2026.
The summit is one of the most remote and challenging peaks on Earth, marking a historic milestone for both the UAE and the Arab world.
At just 18 years old, she became the youngest and first Arab to reach the summit. This achievement marks the third peak in her pursuit of the Seven Summits challenge, which involves climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.
Before Mount Vinson, Fatima reached the summit of Mount Elbrus and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa’s tallest mountain.
Currently, studying Economics at university, Fatima hopes her achievement will inspire Arab youth, particularly young women, to pursue ambitious goals across all fields.
Before Fatima planted her flag on an Antarctic peak, there was already a wave of GCC women rewriting the story of adventure and smashing the stereotypes in the region.
Fatima Sajwani’s ambitions have no limits. One of the leading figures who paved the way for Emirati women in adventure and extreme sports, she began her climbing journey in 2018 and quickly made history. In 2022, she became the first Emirati to summit Uganda’s Margherita Peak, the third-highest and one of the most dangerous mountains in Africa. The following year, in 2023, she went on to become the first Emirati woman to reach the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps.
Sheikha Asma Al Thani has claimed nearly every title in the world of extreme adventure. Recognised as one of the most accomplished endurance athletes globally, she made history as the first Arab woman — and the first Qatari — to complete the Explorers Grand Slam, including skiing to both the North and South Poles.
In 2022, Nayla Al Baloushi became the first Emirati woman to climb Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, officially making history in the UAE.
In 2024, Danah Al Ali proved that limits are meant to be broken. She scaled Mount Everest and Lhotse in a single day, becoming the first Emirati woman to reach both summits within 24 hours. On 9 January, she added yet another milestone to her record, scaling Mount Vinson — Antarctica’s tallest mountain — and securing her fifth summit on the road to completing the Seven Summits.
Raha Moharrak is the first Saudi woman to complete the “Seven Summits,” the challenge of climbing the highest peak on every continent. When she was 25 years old, she became the first Saudi woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
