Most people who decide to take up a challenge in the new year resolve to give up a bad habit such as smoking or decide to join a gym.
A Dubai climber went a step further than that though when she spent January climbing the highest volcanic peak in Antarctica.
Australian Caroline Leon, 37, endured freezing cold temperatures and treacherous conditions on her way to climbing Mount Sidley.
Along the way, she had to contend with the dangers of frostbite and her hair and limbs freezing.
“It was challenging because it was so cold and was minus 30ºC on a good day,” said Ms Leon.
“If you exposed any part of your body to the air there was a real risk of frostbite and there was a risk of your eyes getting snow blindness.
“Each member of the team had to pull a 25kg sledge all the way up the mountain, which was another challenge.”
Mount Sidley is the highest volcanic summit in Antarctica, standing at about 4,300m high.
Only 77 people have climbed it, with Ms Leon being the 18th woman to do so.
“The scariest thing that happened to me on the climb was I ended up freezing my hands solid and our guide made me swing my arm around to get the blood flowing again,” she said.
“I burst into tears because it was so painful. I was really mindful to make sure that didn’t happen again.
“Some of us had our hair frozen in parts and the guys had their beards frozen too at times.”
Ms Leon was undertaking the climb as part of a challenge to complete all seven of the volcanic summits in the world.
The other peaks are Mount Giluwe (4,367m) in Papua New Guinea, Mount Damavand (5,671m) in Iran, Picos de Orizaba (5,636m) in Mexico, Elbrus (5,642m) in Russia, Kilimanjaro (5,895m) in Tanzania and Ojos del Salado (6,893m) on the Argentina-Chile border.
She is not resting on her laurels as she plans to travel to Mexico in the coming days, then to Papua New Guinea and Tanzania.
“I’ve already done some of the seven summits but I want to set a speed record by climbing them all within a six-month period,” said Ms Leon.
“I don’t believe there are any records of it being done in that time so far.”
The journey to the highest summit in Antarctica was not all about endurance and overcoming the odds, she said.
“When you get to the summit and look to the opposite side, you see it’s all blue ice and snow and it’s just beautiful,” said Ms Leon.
“You can see baby volcanoes too and it’s all so pristine and breathtaking.”
Ms Leon’s achievements are all the more impressive given that she broke her back in a horrific fall in 2015.
Doctors told her she was unlikely to walk again after she fell while climbing a wall in Dubai.
Despite being confined to a wheelchair for six months, as well as undergoing 14 operations and 23 blood transfusions, she was able to slowly regain her ability to walk.
“The accident gave me the courage to put the best of me forward as I felt like I owed that to all the people who helped me recover,” she said.
“It has driven how I act and given me the purpose to move forward.
“It provided me with an understanding of who I am, which has helped in so many facets of my life.”
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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The bio:
Favourite holiday destination: I really enjoyed Sri Lanka and Vietnam but my dream destination is the Maldives.
Favourite food: My mum’s Chinese cooking.
Favourite film: Robocop, followed by The Terminator.
Hobbies: Off-roading, scuba diving, playing squash and going to the gym.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)
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Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
