Depending on weather conditions, Zed Al Rifai is expected to reach the Cho Oyo summit on September 23rd, according to a statement sent by Zed via a satellite communication device, and from an altitude of 5,700 meters on Cho Oyo mountain. He said:” Weather forecast favours the 23rd of September as our summit day "Inshallah". This means that we head back up the mountain for the final summit push on 20th September.”
Zed Al Refai is a Kuwaiti national and the first Arab to climb Mount Everest; he made history in being the 46th person to climb all 7 highest summits in the 7 continents of the world. On Sept 9th, Zed commenced his adventure to climb Cho Oyo, the sixth highest mountain in the world.
At 5,700 meter, Zed has been acclimatizing his body and mind to be able to continue the climb up, and reach Cho Oyo’s 8,201 metre summit. He said:” I have been suffering from bronchitis, commonly known here as 'khumbu cough', because of the dry air at this altitude. We have been to the 'ice cliff' which is a huge cornice between Camp 1 & 2, at about 5,700m. It gave us a sense of the route that lies ahead. The weather has been cold and miserable as expected, because we are shifting seasons from the monsoon to the winter.”
Zed adds jokingly:” It's the waiting game now. If I could invent an acclimatization pill that takes the human body from see level to 8000 peaks, I'd be a rich man! It would save a lot of sitting around.”
Gillette Middle East, known for its strong support for sports, is sponsoring Zed’s climbing adventure in its aim to attract new Middle Eastern-based fans to the inside story of mountain climbing heroes from this region.
Located on the border of Tibet and Nepal, 30 Kilometres West of Mount Everest, Cho Oyo’s 8,201 metre summit makes it the sixth highest mountain in the world. Freezing temperatures, a summit at death zone (above 8000 meters), extreme weather conditions such as howling winds and burning sun light, all contribute to making Cho Oyo one of the most challenging mountain climbs in the world. Extreme areas are known to lack terrestrial communications infrastructure, as such, Zed uses the revolutionary Regional BGAN satellite telecommunications system supplied by Inmarsat, a world leader in the satellite telecommunications equipment.
