Lifestyle
4.15.2022
Yousef Al Refaie, the Kuwaiti climber joins the World Guinness Record
Yousef Al Refaie has already made mountaineering history by having climbed the highest volcanoes on every continent. But more than that, at 24 years old, he became the youngest person to achieve this feat.
Only 24 people have achieved this feat. And nothing seemed to lead this young climber to join that short list. “If you came from the desert, I wouldn’t think you could climb the highest mountains,” he said himself.
From tourism to passion
Mr. Al Refaie discovered mountaineering as a tourist when he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2015. Soon followed Mount Elbrus in Russia, Giluwe in Papua New Guinea, Pico de Orizaba in Mexico, Mount Damavand in Iran, Ojos Del Salado in the Andes and last but not least, Mount Sidley in Antarctica.
Mount Sidley, the last step towards the record but also the hardest to reach
This last summit, culminating at 4285 meters in the heart of one of the least inhabited areas of the world required the greatest effort of his climbing experience. Extreme climatic conditions, consequent financial investment, subsistence and physical strength to the test, the mount Sidley challenged the life of the mountaineer under more than one aspect.
From the 3,000-meter mark to the crest of the mountain took seven hours. The Kuwaiti mountaineer invested nearly $60,000 in this adventure in Antarctica, at -35°C. Moreover, in the climb to the summit, the climatic conditions made survival complicated. Each member of the mountaineering team carried nearly 10 kilos of food on their backs, the equivalent of 27 meals. Despite eating three meals a day, based on dehydrated food rich in calories, the temperature and the effort required by the climbing constantly diminished the team’s strength and they observed a considerable weight loss.
A new challenge for new adventures
Yousef Al Refaie is now setting out to conquer the deserts. The mountaineer wants to reach the sand dunes and challenge himself to cross the largest desert areas in the world. He plans to begin his adventure in the Arabian Peninsula, starting with the Empty Quarter (Rub al Khali in Arabic) this November.
“When I asked my mother for the Guinness Book of World Records as a child, she said she would only buy it if I had something extraordinary to put in it,” says Yousef Al Refaie. She will now be able to see her son’s picture and story…
popular
