Danah Al Ali unveiled a United Arab Emirates flag on the summit of Lhotse after scaling Everest just hours earlier
Danah Al Ali unveiled a United Arab Emirates flag on the summit of Lhotse after scaling Everest just hours earlier
Danah Al Ali trained in Chamonix before her trip to the Himalayas
Danah Al Ali trained in Chamonix before her trip to the Himalayas
Al Ali reached the summit of Mount Everest in the early hours of May 24
Al Ali reached the summit of Mount Everest in the early hours of May 24
Ice climbing was an important factor in her attempt to become the first Emirati woman to climb Mount Everest and Lhotse in 24 hours
Ice climbing was an important factor in her attempt to become the first Emirati woman to climb Mount Everest and Lhotse in 24 hours
The history-making climber said her biggest challenge was leaving her children to complete the challenge. Victor Besa / The National
The history-making climber said her biggest challenge was leaving her children to complete the challenge. Victor Besa / The National

UAE

First Emirati woman conquers peak-to-peak Everest challenge

Danah Al Ali climbed Mount Everest and Lhotse in less than 24 hours

Nick Webster
Nick Webster

June 08, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

An Emirati woman has set a new record by climbing Mount Everest and nearby Lhotse in only 24 hours.

Mount Everest is one of the deadliest climbs in the world that has claimed more than 300 lives so far.

But mother-of-two Danah Al Ali defied the risks on May 24 to become the first Emirati woman to reach the top of both mountains within a day.

As the UAE flag was unravelled from her rucksack and hoisted into the wind on the summit of Lhotse, Ms Al Ali’s thoughts turned to her children, Hamdan Al Remeithi, 15, and Elyazia Al Remeithi, 14, waiting at home and the significance of her achievement.

You never know how your body will react to the altitude, even with experience
Danah Al Ali

“The biggest challenge was leaving my children,” Ms Al Ali told The National after arriving back in Abu Dhabi.

“Your brain doesn’t stop, so my mind was always with them while they were with my parents. Even on the mountain you miss your family, and some people ended their expedition early because it is such a long time away from home,” she said.

Ms Al Ali said that to be successful on a climb, you need to have patience waiting for the right weather window and listen and trust your guides.

“We left for the summit at 1am and reached Everest about 10.30am, then set off for Lhotse four hours later,” she said.

“It was an incredible experience,” she said, adding that she opted to climb both mountains because she had “unfinished business” with Lhotse.

According to local reports, 12 climbers died trying to reach the peak of Everest this year, with five more reported missing.

If those climbers are not found alive, it will take the total mountain deaths this year beyond the previous record of 16 reported in 2014.

The climbing season this year has also been one of the busiest on record, with delayed expeditions resulting from the pandemic cited as a contributing factor.

A record 463 climbing permits were issued by the Nepal Tourism Board for the 2023 climbing season that ended in May.

Danah said unveiling the Emirati flag was an incredible moment. Victor Besa / The National
Danah said unveiling the Emirati flag was an incredible moment. Victor Besa / The National

Ms Al Ali was one of 96 women to attempt to climb Everest this year, but few took on the peak to peak challenge to also scale Lhotse, the world’s fourth highest mountain.

Her dream began in 2013 after returning from the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

That experience inspired her to begin a decade-long journey of preparation, which included sleeping in an oxygen tent for eight hours a night to acclimatise to the low oxygen levels experienced in the Himalayas.

Other preparations included daily physical training, hikes in the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah and snow and ice climbing in Chamonix in the French Alps.

Ms Al Ali was part of a 16-strong climbing group from a range of backgrounds and nationalities.

She left the UAE on April 26, arriving at Everest Base Camp on May 14 to complete the final preparations of her challenge, which was scheduled for a good weather window expected between May 23 and 25.

“It was a quiet day, with just our team up there,” she said.

“The weather was perfect, the sun was out, which was very lucky because it was super cold in the previous weeks, with temperatures down to about -20ºC.”

Ms Al Ali said she wanted her climb to inspire others.

“I was only the second Emirati woman to summit Everest and the first to climb both, it was an amazing feeling,” she said.

“You never know how your body will react to the altitude, even with experience.

“Unveiling the Emirati flag was an incredible moment.”

The expedition cost about $85,000 and was funded via sponsorship, including funding from Top of Her Game, a programme that encourages women to be active, ambitious and resilient. Other sponsors were Adnoc, Aldar and Thuraya.

“Despite multiple setbacks, Danah has finally achieved her dream,” said Christina Ioannidis, founder of Top of Her Game and Danah’s coach.

“To add a second peak in 24 hours seemed risky and daunting.

“However, we worked hard on her perseverance and strength to overcome the challenges, and she did just that.

“She is a role model to every woman, to every mother, who aspires to break the mould and conquer whatever mountain they have to climb.”

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If you go

 

  • The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
  • The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
  • The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as  Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
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Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees  (oats with chicken) is one of them

Favourite place to go to: Dubai Mall because it has lots of sports shops.

Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results

During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks

Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy

Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it

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Key changes

Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.

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Updated: June 08, 2023, 12:22 PM`
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