This is your chance to find out.
My name is Atte Miettinen and I was born in Finland about 36 years ago, but I’ve called Dubai my home for the last five years. I’m about to take on the biggest challenge of my life, climbing the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest.
The expedition to Everest is part of my goal of climbing the Seven Summits, the highest mountains of every continent:
- North America: Denali (6194m) in USA
- South America: Cerro Aconcagua (6962m) in Argentina
- Antarctica: Vinson Massif (4897m)
- Europe: Elbrus (5642m) in Russia
- Africa: Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m) in Tanzania
- Asia: Mount Everest (8850m) in Nepal
- Australia: Carstensz Pyramid (4884m) in Indonesia or Mount Kosciuszko (2228m) in Australia
The term “Seven Summits” was coined by Richard Bass, an American, who became the first person to complete the challenge in 1985.
A year later, legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner completed his Seven Summits, arguing that continents should be determined based on tectonic plates and therefore Carstensz Pyramid, located on the island of Papua, which belongs to the Australian continent, should replace Mount Kosciuszko as the highest mountain in Australian continent.
The question of which mountain should be considered the highest mountain for the Australian continent continues to split the mountaineering community and the two views are now generally referred to as the Bass List and the Messner List, with both accepted as the official Seven Summits.
Since Bass and Messner, roughly 340 people from approximately 50 countries have completed the Seven Summits, including no-one from my native Finland nor anyone from the UAE. However, it seems like both firsts will be achieved in the coming months!
To date, I’ve climbed five of the seven mountains, including both options for Australia/Oceania, and I’m currently making the final preparations for a two-month expedition to Mount Everest, which will begin on March 24th from Dubai.
I’ll be writing a column here on 'Emirates24|7' every week from now until the end of May, giving you a chance to join me on the journey to the top of the world, from the comfort of your computer!
My column will give you an insight into the training and preparation for taking on Everest, help you understand what kind of people are attracted to the challenge as well as what expedition life on the mountain is like!
And please keep your fingers crossed for a successful expedition!
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