National Geographic Abu Dhabi marks this year's International Women's Day by screening an exclusive interview with Elham Al-Qasimi, the first Arab female and the first Emirati national to attempt an unassisted and unsupported trek to the North Pole. On Monday, viewers can watch the interview with Elham exclusively on National Geographic Abu Dhabi, and hear about her preparation for the physically demanding trip which will begin in April, and will entail skiing cross country for three weeks. The interview also reveals 27-year-old Elham's motivation for the initiative, and her words of inspiration to others - especially Emirati and Arab women - about facing up to challenges and achieving their ambitions. “I have a message to Emirati and Arab women on the occasion of International Women's Day: we can earn the world's respect through our achievements. We don't even have to wait for challenges to come our way, we can create our own,” Elham said. Elham, 27, will ski cross-country during her three-week journey, after starting out at 89 degrees latitude. She will be accompanied by two more adventurers. She is currently undergoing a disciplined fitness and training routine and intends to embark on her journey from Dubai in mid-April. She will keep everyone updated on her trip through postings on Twitter, Facebook and a personal blog. Elham Al-Qasimi has pushed her intellectual abilities all her life to make it to the top, be it at the London School of Economics or her number crunching job at JP Morgan. She has trained in both martial arts and gymnastics as a student in the US and resigned from her job as an investment manager in London last November. Elham has been undergoing rigorous training programmes to prepare herself for her sub-zero adventure. Her trip will see her skiing numerous miles a day – steering clear of cracks in the ice, surviving on little sleep and of course leaving no trash. “I will not be flushing any toilets, not using my i-phone or using electricity. I will use solar power to charge my satellite phone, melt ice to drink water and carry all the trash I generate. The expedition will leave zero carbon footprints. I want to go to the Arctic because it is untouched and so I should leave it as such for the next person to go there,” said Elham.
