Dubai man conquers the seven summits

DUBAI: Dubai-based Finnish mountaineer Atte Miettinen is on top of the world after conquering the Seven Summits.

“It feels surreal,” said the 36-year-old intrepid climber who was greeted by his delighted wife, Delanii, at the Dubai airport when he landed here on Tuesday afternoon.

“The feeling of accomplishment is still sinking in. Completing the Seven Summits has been a dream for many years. It feels amazing to see it come true,” Miettinen told XPRESS.

“I am looking forward to being in Dubai. I’ve been living in a tent for months, it will be nice to get back to a normal routine,” he said.

Miettinen accomplished the seemingly impossible mission on June 22 when he reached the peak of the 6,196-metre Denali in Alaska – the last leg of the challenge.

In doing so Miettinen set two world records – he became the first Finn and the first UAE resident to scale both Messner and Bass lists of Seven Summits, which refers to climbing the seven tallest mountains on the seven continents of the world.

The Messner list includes Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres) in Tanzania, Elbrus (5,642 metres) in Russia, Cerro Aconcagua (6,962 metres) in Argentina, Carstensz Pyramid (4,884 metres) in Indonesia/Australia, Vinson Massif (4,897 metres) in Antarctica, Denali (6,196 metres) in North America, and Mount Everest (8,850 metres) in Nepal. The Bass list includes all mountains in the Messner list but has Mount Kosciuszko instead of Carstensz Pyramid.

Miettinen, who works as a telecom executive in Dubai, now joins an elite list of 100 people who have scaled mountains on both lists.

Five year itch

Miettinen’s quest for mountain climbing started on a holiday trip to Tanzania in 2003 with Mount Kilimanjaro. There has been no looking back since. Earlier in May 2012, he climbed Mount Everest.

So what’s next for him?

“After spending the last months challenging my mental and physical abilities, I will be searching for things to do. I am also thinking of doing other expeditions. However, right now, I will be preparing for one life-long expedition – parenthood – as our first chid is expected in November.”