A BAHRAINI teenager is set to take on Mount Everest this month as one of the youngest climbers from the Gulf.
Fourteen-year-old Hamad Shakeeb will begin his first trek to the Everest South Base Camp along with his father Dr Ahmed Shakeeb, a retired plastic and burn surgeon who has climbed to the camp 25 times since 1990.
The father and son duo will set off for Nepal tomorrow and plan to trek to the camp at an altitude of 5,364 metres, which is one of the most popular trekking routes in the Himalayas.
They have been training for months for the up to 17-day climb and also hope to go white-water rafting and rock climbing in Kathmandu after completing the trek.
Experience
Dr Shakeeb told the GDN they plan to fly to Kathmandu, Nepal tomorrow and take another flight to Lukla before starting the ascent to the South Base Camp.
“I have been going there every year for health and a change of atmosphere and to experience different cultures – but I want to take Hamad with me this time,” said the 60-year-old Bahraini.
“He’s been seeing me trek the mountain since he was a small boy and now that he’s strong enough to go there we took advantage of the opportunity.
“Sharing this trip with my son means a lot to me – at 60 I won’t be able to go on for much longer but at least I have taken my son up and hopefully my younger son, 12, will be with us in the coming years.
“I’m trying to make all my children enjoy life and nature, especially with everything focused on the Internet and being couch potatoes, it’s crucial to be active and involved.
“Unfortunately, the weather from June to October isn’t a good time to go to Everest because it’s monsoon season but because of school holidays this is the only time available for us.”
This year’s climbing season was the deadliest in years as 11 people died on the treacherous paths to the 8,848m summit, where mountaineers queued sometimes for hours for their turn at the top.
Some veterans blamed this on too many new wave mountaineer tourists being ill-prepared, while others have called for a cut in the number of climbing permits or tougher standards for guides.
However, Dr Shakeeb said he was not worried as they were trekking to the base camp – adding that they have been training for months to raise their fitness level and tolerance in order to battle the elements and altitude.
“Nowadays, even very unfit people and untrained people go to the summit and you follow on the news that many of them are dying because they are unprepared,” he added.
“They have the ambition in their mind but they are not ready for the elements.”
He said their main challenge on the 5,364m climb will be overcoming lack of oxygen and altitude sickness as they trek via the southeast ridge.
Altitude sickness is the negative health effect of high altitude caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevations and includes symptoms such as headaches, vomiting, tiredness, trouble sleeping and dizziness.
It typically occurs above 2,500m although some are affected at lower altitudes, with treatments generally comprising descending to a lower altitude and drinking enough fluids.
“The oxygen will be quite low and you may need to take medication and go up very slowly, and in some villages along the way you need to stop for more than 24 hours and spend the night so that you acclimatise,” explained Dr Shakeeb.
“The locals are already acclimatised but for us from sea level you have to go up very slowly otherwise there’s a risk to your brain and lungs and it’s a killer disease that comes at night – many people don’t wake up.
“The problem is taking in the air is very difficult, here we breathe without realising but over there you are actively sucking in the air.”
Fourteen-year-old Hamad, meanwhile, said he hoped to raise the Bahraini flag upon reaching the base camp.
“I’ve been working on adapting to long walks and waking up early to prepare myself for the trip,” he said.
“Sharing this experience with my father is something I’m really proud of and I’m excited because it’s our first trip to Everest together.
“I want to represent Bahrain and raise the kingdom’s flag when I reach the base camp.”
In 2012 Hamad and his father trekked to the 3,964m Tochal peak of the Alborz Mountain range in Iran, along with diving adventures in Thailand, Oman and Bahrain.
Represent
They also accompanied 50 volunteers in Bahrain’s first diving campaign to clean Najwat Bulthama marine reserve in May last year.
The drive was organised by the Supreme Council for Environment in collaboration with United Nations Environment, the Coastguard and the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry’s Agriculture and Marine Resources.
reem@gdn.com.bh
