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UAE-based Arab all set for conquest of Everest
An intrepid UAE-based Arab is about to start his final climb towards the summit of Mount Everest as part of a team that includes two Israelis.
- By Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 May 15, 2006
Dubai: An intrepid UAE-based Arab is about to start his final climb towards the summit of Mount Everest as part of a team that includes two Israelis.
Adventurous Ali Bushnaq is hoping to reach the top of the world's highest mountain on Thursday.
It is thought that Bushnaq, a civil engineer who has lived in the UAE for 30 years and is married with a young daughter, will be the first Palestinian to conquer Everest if his effort proves successful.
The Everest Peace Project Team of which Bushnaq is a part includes two Israelis, David Yifrah and Micha Yaniv, along with a diverse group from other nations that includes a Buddhist and two Christian Americans.
Diverse team
"Never before has there been such a diverse Everest team consisting of people from different faiths and cultures especially including Palestinian and Israeli men; our intention is to promote peace and teamwork and to unite the world on top of the world," team leader Lance Trumball said in a statement.
The team recently left advanced base camp, which is at 6,400 metres and where Trumball is staying behind to manage communications with the team. Today the group of climbers is due to be resting at 7,000 metres while acclimatising to the high altitude.
They are set to climb up to 7,600 metres tomorrow, while the following day the plan is for them to go higher still and reach 8,300 metres.
The attempt at the summit, which reaches 8,850 metres, is scheduled for Thursday although bad weather could disrupt proceedings.
As well as Ali and the two Israeli climbers, the other members of the Everest Peace Project Team are Selebelo Selamolela, Tonya Riggs, Jamie McGuinness and Brad Clement.
It may be recalled that the first woman to climb Everest succeeded in 1975 and five years ago a blind man reached the top.
In addition, a few climbers have conquered the mountain without the use of oxygen.
About 2,000 people have reached summit
Everest has long caught the imagination of amateur and professional mountain climbers and has been the scene of tragedy as well as triumph.
The first successful ascent and descent of Everest was achieved in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. In total about 2,000 people have reached the summit but nearly 200 people have died while on expeditions to the peak.
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