Qatari mountaineer Fahad Badar announcing his next expedition during a press conference in Doha, yesterday. Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula
Doha: Fahad Badar, a Qatari youth who made history in May this year for being the first Arab to reach the Everest and Lhotse peaks during the same expedition, has announced to climb Mount Vinson in Antarctica in December 2019 on the eve of National Day of Qatar.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, the Qatari adventurer and mountaineer announced one of the ultimate adventures on earth to Antarctica to ski the last degree expedition and climb Mount Vinson.
This incredible crossing involves skiing in intervals for 110km across the South Pole, using sleds to haul provisions and to scale one of the coldest mountains on earth. Mount Vinson is the highest peak in Antarctica.
Mount Vinson is the most remote of the Seven Summits, located 1,000 kilometres from the South Pole at 4,897-metre high. Vinson’s summit will feel 1,000 meters higher than it actually is because of the thinning of the earth’s atmosphere near the poles.
December through to February is considered the Antarctic summer, where Fahad will experience 24 hours of daylight and the average temperature for that time of the year is minus 20 degrees Celsius (temperatures on the summit can drop down to minus 50). Records show approximately 1200 people have summited Mount Vinson since 1966.
Fahad Badar with Qatar’s flag at Everest.
Vinson will be Fahad’s fourth of the Seven Summits, and he will be leaving to Antarctica on the Qatar National Day (December 18) to make his journey to the centre of the South Pole by the end of December, with a projected summit date during the first week of January 2020.
In May this year, Fahad made history by becoming the first Arab male to double summit both Mount Everest and Lhotse in a single expedition. He is one of just over 30 people in the world to have succeeded this massive accomplishment.
His achievements were commended by Minister of Culture and Sports, H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, who awarded him with a certificate of achievement.
Then in August, he also achieved an incredible feat by scaling two more mountains – Mont Blanc and Matterhorn in the Alps. He is one of only a few Qataris who is pursuing his passion for climbing, which has led him to push himself both physically and mentally further each time.
Fahad Badar said, “It has been a pride and privilege to fly the Qatari flag on the highest peaks of the world. My endeavour has always been to achieve the unprecedented and this has what helped me push myself forward. For me failure is not an option and I am excited for this next expedition to raise the Qatari flag high at Antarctica and inspire many others to follow suit.”
Fahad Badar, throughout his career, has worked in the banking sector, where his leadership skills and expertise have seen him rise up the executive ladder. As the Executive General Manager of International Banking at Commercial Bank of Qatar, Fahad is as skilled in the boardroom as he is at scaling a mountain.
Fahad further added, “The world of mountaineering teaches you a lot about life, yet you need to have the necessary technical skills and be well prepared physically to face the risks. I want to thank the team at Aspire that have been assisting with my training, the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Olympic Committee for their continued support of my achievements.”
