Siyabi first Omani to scale Mount Everest

The 37-year-old Siyabi achieved success after a trek that took nearly two months. He and fellow team members from Turkey, Finland, US, Britain, Ireland, Australia and Argentina, had spent 60 days in training and trying to adapt to the extremely harsh climatic conditions.

The team was divided into four camps on the top of the mountain on the China-Nepal border.

After raising the sultanate’s flag on the Everest summit, Siyabi said his mission was not easy as it faced grave risks, including fluctuating weather conditions and severe cold, which sometimes reached minus-50 degree Celsius, and strong winds which delayed the ascent more than once. One of the major challenges he faced was lack of oxygen.

The climbing stages, Siyabi said, were tough and difficult, forcing several members of the team to withdraw.

This, however, did not diminish his determination, particularly because he wanted to succeed in his mission to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of his country’s National Day this year.

“It was my way of expressing my loyalty and allegiance to Oman’s blessed march under His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said,” he was quoted as saying by the official Oman News Agency.

Conquering Mount Everest is not Siyabi’s first achievement. He was the first Arab to climb the Bimori Mountain, one of the most dangerous mountains on the Himalayas.

ravindranath@khaleejtimes.com