Abu Dhabi’s serial summiteer set for Olympus challenge

American architect Thomas Fiala is using the quiet of Ramadan to ramp up training ahead of scaling Mount Olympus in Greece, after already conquering several of Europe's great peaks.

Thomas Fiala trains at the gym near his home in Abu Dhabi for his expedition to Mt Olympus, in Greece. Christopher Pike / The National

ABU DHABI // The pace of life during Ramadan slows down for many but not for Thomas Fiala, who is training hard for yet another gruelling summit attempt.

Since scaling the 4,810-metre Mont Blanc three years ago, the 50-year-old American architect and engineer has climbed the 5,486m Khumbu icefall on Mount Everest, Mount Hekla, an active volcano at 1,491m, and Mount Vatnajokull, a large ice-cap glacier, both in Iceland, and Ben Nevis in Scotland, the highest peak in Britain at 1,344m.

Mr Fiala now plans to scale Mount Olympus, Greece’s highest mountain at 2,919m, in late September.

“I have always been fascinated with ancient history, especially the entire Roman and Greek civilisations,” he said. “It seemed that Mount Olympus was a natural choice to add to my climbing and trekking CV.

“It has a fantastic, specific microclimate, partly due to the short distance from the Aegean Sea and the steep increase in height above sea level.

“It stands out for its great diversity in terrain, climate and vegetation, making it an even more exciting and interesting adventure, not to mention the fascinating history.”

The expedition, which is to include three other climbers, will last between three and four days, with two nights spent in mountain huts as the group progresses. In preparation, he is working out five times a week at a small gym set up in his villa and at the community gym at the Desert Village in Al Reef.

“I get on the stair stepper and treadmill, which helps build and improve my cardiovascular endurance,” he said. “On the treadmill, I wear my mountain boots with 2.5 kilogram weights on each leg.”

He clocks a total of 150km a week on the bike and the treadmill, or an average of about 30km on each of the five days he works out. He also does an hour to 90 minutes of weight training for total body strength and endurance.

“Once we get to two thirds of the way up the mountain, the terrain becomes very hard and rocky,” Mr Fiala said.

“It would mean jumping from rock to rock, so body-weight exercises are essentially to build my upper body strength.”

He also undertakes desert runs and sand-dune climbing at night, after iftar.

“These essentially build up strength and stamina in my legs,” he said. “I do not fast during Ramadan but I’m always mindful of the Ramadan timings and do not make myself visible during the day.”

The adventure of the unknown and pushing one’s limits drive him constantly to pursue new challenges.

After Mount Olympus, Mr Fiala has no intention of slowing down and is eyeing the 4,478m Matterhorn in Switzerland for his next adventure.

“Finding the time between being able to train sufficiently and juggling my professional work life is a challenge in itself for this particular climb,” said Mr Fiala, a project manager in Abu Dhabi.

Climbing and exploring beautiful terrain along with the inherent unknown dangers fulfils his personal goals, he said.

“Basically, it’s you against the mountain,” he said. “Some would say there are easier ways of challenging oneself. But once you reach a summit and look out over the beautiful vastness that you just conquered, there is no other sense of accomplishment or feeling in the world.”