The view from the top fascinates this teenaged mountain climber

Dubai - On August 19, 2016, Ali Saleh Alshunnar became the youngest Emirati to reach the top of Africa's highest mountain Kilimanjaro.

The famous saying age is just a number exactly suits 15-year-old Emirati boy Ali Saleh Alshunnar. Literally, he has scaled the heights no other Emirati could do at his age.

On August 19, 2016, he became the youngest Emirati to reach the top of Africa's highest mountain Kilimanjaro. It took him six days to scale the 5,895 metres high Uhuru peak.
Talking to Khaleej Times on his feeling about the achievement, Ali Saleh says: "It feels really very good". He gave a lot of credit to the one year of training he did for this expedition.
The one thing that fascinated him most about mountain climbing is the view from the top. "It's breathtaking," says the grade 10 student at Jumeira Baccalaureate School. And the most frustrating issue... "It is being bloated and falling sick. Altitude and lack of oxygen are linked and that causes lack of sleep and feeling of not wanting to eat anything".
The moment he will cherish for ever is the one when he waved the UAE flag after reaching the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The thing that kept him going through and make him feel that all this trouble is worth it, is his belief towards the principle of setting goals for self and not backing out until it has been achieved.
However, reaching new heights seems to be in his family genes, as previously the youngest Emirati to scale the Mount Kilimanjaro was no one else but his elder brother. Moawiya Saleh Al Shunnar climbed the peak in 2012, while he was five months elder than Ali's present age.
When asked about a possible competition between him and his brother, Ali is a bit confused. "To be honest, yes and no. I say that because although I wanted to be the youngest Emirati to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, my brother was very supportive. He encouraged me and gave me a lot of tips."
The achievement has not deterred him from setting higher academic goals. "Right now, I am trying to focus on my studies. I want to graduate with best grades and get in to one of the best universities," he added.
gaurav@khaleejtimes.com
 

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