National pride helps Emirati climbers conquer Kilimanjaro

Pair set out to challenge themselves and help tell people about the UAE and its accomplishments.

Ahmed Al Suwaidi atop Mount Kilimanjaro. Courtesy of Ahmed Al Suwaidi

ABU DHABI // It was so much harder than they expected, but national pride kept a pair of Emirati climbers going until they reached the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Carrying small UAE flags on their backpacks Ahmed Al Suwaidi, 35, and his friend Ayman Kamal, 27, both from Abu Dhabi, were determined to climb Africa’s tallest peak, at 5,895m above sea level.

“If we give up now they will say the UAE guys backed out,” they kept telling each other in their toughest moments.

“I met a few people who did it before but no one can explain how hard it really is,” said Mr Kamal, who works as an Emiratisation officer for Mubadala, a strategic investment company owned by Abu Dhabi.

At one point he slipped and was saved when their guide jumped after him to stop him sliding further.

“You reach a point where you have migraine, nausea, shortness of breath; all of that put together makes each step more painful than the first,” Mr Kamal said.

“You need something to push you, which is more mental than physical. I would reach a point where I was physically exhausted and I had to dig deep for what drives me to get there.”

They decided to climb Kilimanjaro in Tanzania along its longest and most challenging route to tell the world about the UAE and its accomplishments.

On the seven-day hike to the summit they had five stops at very uncomfortable base camps, where they shared a small tent and slept on rock-hard floors.

Mr Al Suwaidi, a director of human resources and administration at Tabreed, recalled his most challenging moment when he almost gave up.

“On the fourth day we reached Barranco Wall. It is a very narrow and steep edge, you have to hug it and stick your face and nose to it to pass it.

“So I stopped and said, ‘I have five kids and a good job, so why go forward?’ Let’s stop.”

He was soon reminded of their purpose by his companion, who pushed him to keep going.

When they eventually neared the summit, it was not any easier.

They walked for seven hours to get to the last base camp in the afternoon and had an early dinner. After a few hours of sleep they started walking again at 11pm.

“It was the grandfather of all days,” said Mr Al Suwaidi. “It was pitch black. We wore a head torch to show us the route.”

They reached the peak eight hours later, but the challenge only grew harder.

“You are 5,800 metres above sea level, there is no oxygen in the air, so your heart goes at a rate above 150. You get dizzy and if you move fast you get a stroke, and if you move slow you won’t reach [the summit] alive.”

They were each dressed in three jackets and three pair of socks to cope with the minus 20°C temperature.

“You see people giving up and going down because you feel your heart will stop,” said Mr Al Suwaidi.

His body failed him just 100 metres before the top and when he sat down, he could not move.

“The guide said, ‘Ahmed, it’s OK to give up, don’t kill yourself’. I was very dizzy and started talking like an old man,” he recalls.

“I said: ‘You know, I have gone this far I will get to the peak even if I crawl and unless I faint I will not stop.”

At the summit they were both elated.

“When we reached the top we were like kids, hugging each other and jumping,” said Mr Al Suwaidi.

The trip down was not any easier, as all of the pressure is on the knees and they slipped many times.

The two were often asked about the UAE flags they were carrying.

“I used that chance to tell them about the UAE,” said Mr Al Suwaidi. “We said we are happy and want to give back something for the country and this is our simple contribution.

“You can’t be fit for it and that’s it. We saw people who trained cross-fit and failed to get all the way up so thank God we had the flags and the aim of doing it for our country.”

But they said the feeling of achievement was irreplaceable.

Mr Kamal also raised about Dh20,000 for research into Alzheimer’s disease.

Now they are talking about their next challenge – conquering Mount Everest.