JEDDAH — Embarking on a Mount Everest expedition, whose altitude is 8,848 meters (29,029 ft), is no easy feat, and reaching its peak is something which every climber cannot accomplish. Saudi national Raha Moharrak made history Saturday when she become the first Saudi woman, and the youngest Arab to have successfully reached the peak of the world's highest mountain. “I really don't care about being the first,” she is quoted as saying. “So long as it inspires someone else to be second.” Moharrak was among 63 other climbers who were part of the climbing expedition. They are trying to raise $1m (£660,000) for education projects in Nepal. According to the Associated Press,Tilak Padney of Nepal's Mountaineering Department said 35 foreigners accompanied by 29 Nepalese Sherpa guides reached the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak on Saturday morning after climbing all night from the highest camp on South Col. Moharrak, 25, was part of an expedition team comprising four climbers, including a Qatari and a Palestinian man. A member of the team said that Moharrak had to break a lot of barriers to achieve her goal. A biography on the expedition website, BBC reported, that convincing Moharrak's family to agree to her climb “was as great a challenge as the mountain itself,” though they fully support her now. Moharrak's Facebook states that she is originally from Jeddah, lives in Dubai, and is a graduate from the American University of Sharjah. Moharrak's past ascents include: Kilimanjaro, Mount Vinson, Mount Elbrus, Aconcagua, Kala Pattar, Pico de Orizaba, and Iztacchuatl. Last year in May, a group of 10 Saudi women, who were part of the campaign “A woman's journey: Destination Mount Everest,” hiked up to the Everest Base Camp — altitude of 5,400 meters — to spread awareness about preventing breast cancer by leading a healthy and active lifestyle. — SG
