Being a mother hasn’t stopped 34-year-old Abu Dhabi-based mountain-climber Danah Al Ali from scaling some of the highest mountain peaks in the world. This is a woman who has summited over four mountains and is currently training for what will be her biggest conquest—Mount Everest in 2020.
“If someone told me six years ago that I’d be attempting to climb Mt Everest, I’d probably laugh,” she tells me with refreshing candor. “I had no mountaineering experience whatsoever.” So, what changed? Although Danah is professionally affiliated with the UAE Space Agency, she’s an adventurer by heart. Her love of travel led her to Africa in 2013, where she spent a week summitting Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
“When I read about Kilimanjaro, I knew I had to climb it. It took me a while to convince my family, but once it was on board, I prepared and trained for it. Six months later, I was on top of Africa,” she shares. “I came back filled with joy and the crazy idea that I must climb Everest next.”
Danah loved the adrenaline rush but aspiring to climb Mt Everest, the highest mountain in the world, meant spending months training and gaining technical expertise. She pursued mountain training courses in Chamonix, France, in 2014 and 2016, summited Mount Elbrus in Russia in 2015, and Aconcagua in Argentina in 2017, all with her eyes set on a conquest that rarely any Emirati woman has taken on before.
But climbing Mt Everest is no easy feat—it’s one of the most dangerous peaks in the world, with 11 climbers having recently died when descending from the 8,848-meter summit. “My father still asks me if I want to climb Everest when he reads about these tragedies. He’s a health and safety engineer, so you can imagine the work it takes to
convince him. Either way, today, my family is my biggest support and very proud of my achievements,” Danah shares.
In the face of doing something that’s not customary for Emirati women, Danah acknowledges that her passion for mountain-climbing isn’t something everyone will understand. “I want to prove to people that Arab women can be great achievers in their careers, while being great mothers,” states Danah, mother of 10-year-old Elyazia and 11-year-old Hamdan. “I want to inspire other Arab women to pursue their dreams and not hold back because of the challenges we face to get where we want to be.”
When it comes to support, Danah commends the efforts of her communications team at Aquitude, who, through the local platform Top of Her Game for Arab women, have been critical in getting her Mt Everest campaign off the ground. “Christina Ioannidis, the CEO, has been a pillar of
unwavering support—she has been a commercial advisor, mentor and kept me sane throughout this rollercoaster of a journey.”
With initiatives such as these, Danah maintains that things are looking up for Arab women and that there are avenues for them to indulge in extreme sports. “Fear is always there, but I choose courage to get through. I’d rather be safe than sorry, so preparation is key before any summit. I do everything possible to make sure I’m safe.”
This courage of conviction and unconventionality runs in the family. “My children inspire me to be brave every day—my son does motocross and my heart skips a beat every time I see him fly mid-air on his bike. And my daughter, boy, is she brave! She has been dancing since she was two and preforms confidently and gracefully in front of hundreds of people.” Danah also took her children to Mt Toubkal in Morocco, so they could experience the rush she does, and they loved it.
Like other female pioneers in their fields, Danah wasn’t afraid to take risks and show her vulnerability, inspiring other women to follow suit. “Everyone has a mountain to climb in life, whether it’s Everest, the career ladder, or a goal,” she concludes. “My life happens to be all about climbing mountains.”
Danah Al Ali wears Amal Al Raisi and Bthaina. Special thanks to the designers and Fashion Exclusive UAE.
