According to expedition organizers, Lebanese mountaineer Nelly Attar has made history by becoming the first Arab woman to reach the summit of Mount Makalu, the fifth-highest mountain in the world.
Early on Sunday morning, Attar and her Nepali guide Dawa Sherpa arrived at the 8,485-meter (27,838-foot) summit. After reaching the summit at 2:00 a.m. Nepali time, the two members of a Seven Summit Treks expedition have safely returned to base camp.
Nelly Attar
In a social media post, the Kathmandu-based expedition operator called the ascent a “boundary-breaking” accomplishment, emphasizing that Attar and Dawa underwent a rigorous 48-hour push to finish the climb and the descent.
One of the most technically challenging eight-thousanders, Makalu is situated in the Mahalangur Himalayas southeast of Mount Everest and is well-known for its steep pitches and jagged ridges. High-altitude climbing is nothing new to Attar. She is a successful athlete and motivational speaker who has climbed major peaks like K2 and Mount Everest.
According to Nepal’s Department of Tourism, Makalu is hosting nine expedition teams this spring, totaling 79 climbers 61 men and 18 women. Earlier this week, American climber Alexander Pancoe, 39, lost his life while attempting to reach the summit of Makalu at Camp 2.
Additional information about the incident has not yet been made public by authorities. Every spring, which usually lasts from March to June, hundreds of climbers flock to Nepal, which is home to eight of the top 14 mountains in the world.
