ZOOKY HIKES

A passion leading to the summit of Mount Everest

By bazaar Staff

Al Mojalhem spent years preparing to become only the second Kuwaiti to reach the top of Mount Everest and when the time finally came, he did it.

There are only a few people you meet in life that have an aura about them which can be observed right away, and Abdulrazzaq is one of them. He walks in with a smile, loves socializing, enjoys being around his friends and takes on responsibility no matter what it is. Get to know him more and ask him about his passion, and let his story take you on some incredible adventures. Particularly one that now includes climbing Mount Everest.

“I started climbing in 2017 and my first mountain climb was Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. I had a love for sports ever since I was young and when I started climbing, I found something that combined my love for exploring, problem solving and training as well. Ever since my first experience at Mount Kilimanjaro, I knew that I wanted to spend more time in the mountains and challenging myself.” Said Abdulrazzaq when asked about how this passion of his began.

Summitting Mount Everest was not only a goal of his, but it was at the very top. Dreaming about it for years, Abdulrazzaq kept training and making necessary preparations knowing that each step took him closer to finally making his dream come true. “I trained for about a year in total with a combination of strength training in the gym and long cardio sessions in addition to rock climbing. I also made sure to climb smaller mountains to prepare myself for the environment as climbing Everest takes almost two months to do. I focused a lot on my mental health as well as recovery such as regular physiotherapy sessions and cryptotherapy treatment as I didn’t want to get injured while moving forward in my training” added Abdulrazzaq.

Not many people are aware of the enormity of undertaking climbing Mount Everest. With an elevation of almost 8,850 meters, this is the highest mountain in the world. Not only does it take almost two months to summit it and return, it is also incredibly harsh and difficult even for experienced climbers. Abdulrazzaq was aware of that and knew that he can only go when he was suitably prepared for what’s to come.

When he finally was, he made the journey to Nepal and began meeting with the people there who would help him achieve his goal. “Without the Sherpas, very few people would be able to climb the mountain. These people fix the lines on the mountains that the teams use to climb to the top, opening up the path to the summit,” said Abdulrazzaq. Sherpas are highly regarded as elite mountaineers and experts in the local terrain and, as Abdulrazzaq would add, “Their strength is unrivaled in the mountains.”

“The best part of the climb was reaching the summit of Mt. Everest and being able to raise the Kuwaiti flag on the highest mountain in the world. It was something I had been dreaming of doing for the past 7 years so it felt great to finally achieve it after all the hard work and discipline needed to do so.” Said Abdulrazzaq when looking back at what the best part of the whole journey was. Of course, with something this massive, it isn’t always just positive memories. “The scariest and most difficult thing would be experiencing frostbite. It was a very cold season on Everest and at one point, I remember pulling my hand out of my glove and seeing my fingers frozen and I was unable to move them. Luckily, we managed to warm them up and keep from getting more severe frostbite. I got lucky. But standing on the summit of Mt. Everest after all the challenges and even the frostbite, it was an indescribable moment of happiness.” He added.

Even though this climb ranks as his biggest accomplishment so far, it definitely isn’t his only one. “Being able to organize trips to mountains around the world and seeing the joy and happiness on the faces of the people who choose to come on these trips with me is one of my greatest achievements.”

This also isn’t the end of the road for him as he concludes this conversation by saying “If there’s one thing I have learned after my experience climbing Mt. Everest, it’s that anything in life is achievable. You just have to be willing to put in the work and dedicate yourself to that goal. That being said, who knows what may come next? I will definitely continue to climb and pursue my passions and set new goals for myself.”