Teen is youngest Emirati to climb Mount Kilimanjaro

Teen is youngest Emirati to climb Mount Kilimanjaro

  DUBAI – At 15, Emirati teen Ali Saleh Alshunnar became the youngest person from the UAE to climb Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro. Alshunnar had eyed the feat when he was 14 but was unable to travel at the time. On August 14, he took a step toward the record with a group of three other climbers, including his father. The climb took them several grueling nights and they reached the summit of the 5,898-metre mountain on August 19. The climate was pleasant at the base of the mountain but soon became extremely cold as his group climbed higher. Oxygen levels also dropped, making the climb extremely tiring and difficult, he said. Alshunnar, a grade 10 student at Jumeirah Baccalaureate School in Dubai, said that he nonetheless enjoyed challenging himself. Alshunnar said he has always taken an interest in a variety of sports and high endurance activities such as tennis, football, basketball, horse riding, and Korean martial art Tang Soo Do, where he holds a black belt. Before his successful climb, Alshunnar’s brother, Moawiya, reached the top of Kilimanjaro as part of a 7-day, 15-person expedition in 2012. Five people dropped out along the way.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