Muscat – At 48, Omani adventurer Farid bin Ali Hamad al Mahrooqi from Adam, Dakhliyah, feels his climbing career has just begun.

In a first major step towards his career goal, Mahrooqi reached the 5,364m Everest Base Camp in Solukhumbu, Nepal, on May 4. Speaking to Muscat Daily from Namche Bazar, a transit point for mountaineers heading towards Everest Base Camp, Mahrooqi said he began his trip on April 27 and reached the base camp on May 4 at 4pm.

“We were a group of mountaineers from several countries, including UAE and Saudi Arabia. I raised the Omani flag at the base camp.”

Talking about the challenges he encountered on the way to the base camp, Mahrooqi said determination was key to overcoming these. “The climb was tough as the weather was unpredictable with temperatures dropping to as low as –13°C. We walked seven to eight hours a day for eight days to reach the top. The weight of my backpack – over 20kg – made the trek a lot more challenging,” the mountaineer said.

According to Mahrooqi, besides physical training, mountaineers need to be prepared mentally for such challenges. “We practised walking for about three months, four to five hours daily, to prepare for this climb.”

Besides Everest Base Camp, he has scaled several summits locally – including Jabal Shams and Jabal Akhdar – and regionally and participated in numerous hiking trails since 2019.

With his Everest Base Camp adventure, Mahrooqi hopes he helped raise awareness on Oman and the many treasures it has to offer tourists, besides spreading the culture of sports and living an active lifestyle among community members.

Of his future plans, he said, “I want to explore the lakes of Kashmir in July and climb Mount Kilimanjaro in early 2024 while spreading Oman’s message of peace and harmony in the world, and that Omani youth are capable of excelling and achieving great heights in all fields.”

While advising Omani youth to engage in outdoor activities, hiking in particular, he said, “I hope all adventure teams continue putting up signs for hiking trails in various parts of the sultanate to promote the sport and to attract adventurers and tourists from other countries.”

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