Dubai
Three Repton school students are on top of the world after scaling Italy’s highest mountain, Gran Paradiso, on June 28.
Faisal Al Qassimi, Sultan Al Khandri and Pranjal Bachani conquered the 4,061-metre mountain — located between the Aosta Valley and Piedmont regions — as part of their school’s outdoor educational programme.
Graham Malkin, director, outdoor education programme at the school, was also part of the team that topped the summit. The students were guided by certified International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (IFMGA) experts through the weeklong expedition.
“We had a base in Chamonix which is located at an altitude of 3,300 metres above sea level. We spent a couple of days here in order to get acclimatised to the weather. We did small summits around Chamonix so the stud-ents would get some practical experience of mountain climbing before their summit ascent. The students practised walking with ice axes and crampons under their boots. They did a lot of rope work and learnt to walk across glaciers. It was a great experience for them.”
Rough weather
Al Qassimi, 17, said: “The hardest part of the journey was getting acclimatised to the weather. At such a high altitude, the oxygen level is very low and it can be very difficult to breathe. I had constant headaches and a nauseated feeling. The temperature was -3 and -5 degrees. On a windy day it felt like -15 or -16.
“On June 27 we set out on our ascent at 3.45am. Six hours later we reached the ridge line on top of the mountain. It was so thrilling to hold our school flag atop the mountain,” he said.
Al Khandri said communication was not an issue as the guides carried a satellite phone. “An Iridium satellite phone allows mountaineers to make phone calls, just like a normal mobile phone. We also had a backpack with energy bars, water bottles, some thermal clothing, basic medicines and a first aid box.”
Bachani said he was exhausted but in good spirits. “I had blisters on my feet and there were times I could not move. The constant headaches and feeling of nausea made it hard, but I kept going,” he said.
Malkin said the school’s outdoor education programme was designed to help in the all-round development of children. “We have designed programmes to challenge students to build on their strengths and recognise their limitations and develop their personality,” he said.
