Conquering the seven summits

That's exactly what Zed Al Refai does. The Kuwaiti businessman living and working in Dubai has stood on the tallest peak in every continent. His fear of heights pushes him forward

Eyes screwed shut, Zed Al Refai stumbled towards the lift that would take him down from the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

“I was terrified. I could not bear to look down while everyone else around me was clicking pictures. I just wanted to get down, be back safely on the ground. I’ve always had a fear of heights,” he says.

Yes.

And it is this fear that pushes him forward, making him climb the tallest mountain in each of the seven continents. Plus a few others, such as the Matterhorn, known for swallowing its climbers.

“I love the outdoors, I love climbing as a sport. I climb because I’m scared of heights. It makes me cross my own limits, exceed my own expectations, overcome my own fear,” Al Refai says.

We are meeting in Dubai on a quiet autumn afternoon, after the busy coffee merchant and general trader has returned from his latest expedition - to the top of the Matterhorn.

“At the top I felt totally exposed. It felt like walking on rope. I was standing on a two-feet wide summit. I could see all the Alps. I had a great fear of falling,” he says, closing his eyes for a moment.

Then he opens them wide again.

“As you know, Matterhorn is one of the most difficult mountains to climb. It has the highest death rate. Sixty of us began the last leg and only twelve reached the top. Others had given up.”

But never Al Refai. He scaled the Matterhorn on his fourth attempt. Now 38, he has been climbing for 12 years, training differently for each mountain.

He has accomplished what many mountaineers can only dream about: He has conquered the seven summits (the tallest peak in each continent). And is the first Arab to have scaled such heights.

“For me, climbing is life,” he says simply, before sitting back in his chair and remembering each of the seven mountains, going back from the most recent - the hard work, the fear and the thrill.

7. Aconcagua, Argentina, South America; 6,962m.
Reached the top on: February 5, 2004; second attempt.

The mountain: Big, bare, ugly and dusty, with no features.

Lowest point of the climb: Coming down to the camp. I had two blisters on my two big toes; they were actually bigger than the toes. It took me 12 hours to get down. I hated it.

I had kept this as my seventh summit because this is considered one of the easiest mountains. But it wasn’t.

Highest point of the climb: Seeing the town at the foothills, Mendoza. It is famous for its big steaks and beautiful, friendly, laidback people.

6. Vinson, Antarctica; 4,897m.
Reached the top on: January 13, 2004; first attempt.

The mountain: Long, cold mountain. Ice as far as eyes could see, even with binoculars. It was sunny all the time, like 11 o’clock here. Every time you fancy a meal, you can have breakfast - fried eggs.

Lowest point of the climb: Waiting for the Russian cargo plane to pick us up after summiting. We had to wait for 10 days. It was very cold and very windy.

Highest point of the climb: I had lovely company. There were about forty climbers and only three including Zed Al Refai himself) had summited Everest. We developed such a bond that it was heart-rending to leave.

5. Everest, Nepal, Asia; 8,850m.
Reached the top on: May 22, 2003; second attempt.

The mountain: The Big E. I saw the mountain as a Venus Flytrap, waiting for the minutest trigger to swallow us.

Lowest point of the climb: I nearly died on the Everest in 2001. I suffered from the last stages of cerebral oedema (excessive fluid in the brain). It hit me at advance base camp at 6,500m. All doctors present said I had 20 per cent chance of living.

I slipped in and out of coma, not knowing what was happening. They carried me down, the sherpas ... I remember very little.

I recovered slowly in a Kathmandu hospital and then went back immediately to ask for a visa to climb the mountain again.

The official said “I guarantee you will die” ... I never felt so down about anything in my whole life ...

Highest point of the climb: After I reached the top in 2003, I went back to see the doctor at the hospital who’d saved my life. Dr Bysnat said that Kathmandu was buzzing with the news that I had summited Everest and was coming to see him. He was really emotional and kept saying he didn’t know what to say.

4. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa; 5,896m.
Reached the top on: March 22, 2001; second attempt.

The mountain: Very beautiful. Freestanding mountain in the middle of the Savannahs with lush vegetation at its foothills.

Lowest point of the climb: Trying to sleep every night. I did not bring my insulated mattress, thinking the porter would have it. He did not. So, I did not sleep - literally - for six nights. It was very, very cold.

Highest point of the climb: Finally getting my night’s sleep.

3. Elbrus, Russia, Europe; 5,633m.
Reached the top on: August 9, 2000; first attempt.

The mountain: Mudslides had just buried a village. The mountain was like a long ski slope, very straightforward.

Lowest point of the climb: My face and nose were severely burnt by the sun. All the skin was peeling off and I looked like a lizard. And yes, it took me a very long time to climb down.

Highest point of the climb: A physiotherapist was climbing with us. So we got free foot massage and training all through the climb.

2. Carstenz Pyramid, Indonesia, Oceania; 4,884m.
Reached the top on: February 24, 2000; first attempt.

The mountain: We went through a thick jungle for a week when it rained every day. Suddenly we saw this big, jagged mountain rearing up like a wall.

Lowest point of the climb: My knees suffered very much because we’d had to walk through the thick vegetation and the swirling rivers. I literally crawled on the way back. We also lost the way when we were returning. It started to rain and then to snow. We were completely soaked through and miserable.

Highest point of the climb: Hearing the indigenous Danii people, considered to be the last cannibals in the world, singing every night until they fell asleep. Their mus