(Handout picture from Blue Ocean PR)
Friday will mark the sixth anniversary of Omar Samra summiting Mount Everest. On 17 May 2007, Samra reached the highest point of the highest mountain on earth at precisely 7.19am Egyptian time, to become the first Egyptian and the youngest Arab to climb Mount Everest.
In his pursuit to climb the highest mountain on every continent, known as the Seven Summits, Samra will attempt his final summit in Alaska next month in June 2013.
This is Omar’s second attempt to climb Mount McKinley. Also called Denali, a name taken from a native Alaskan language meaning “The Great One”, the mountain is the highest in Alaska and North America. His first attempt was last year in April 2012, where he could not reach the top due to severe weather conditions.
“Denali rises 5.5km from base to summit, an elevation gain unsurpassed anywhere in the world including Everest. In many ways, it is considered the most demanding of all the Seven Summits,” Samra said. “I’m hoping to succeed this time, and have been training hard in preparation over the past 50 weeks.”
If he succeeds, Samra will have completed a world-known challenge known as the Seven Summits, climbing the highest mountain on every continent, and will be the first Egyptian to ever make achieve this challenge, joining a club of only a few to have done so.
To date, Omar has climbed the summits of the highest mountains on six continents, including Everest (Asia), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Europe), Carstenz Pyramid (Australasia), Aconcagua (South America) and Vinson Massif (Antarctica).
