SHARJAH // Suzanne Al Houby has been to the top of the world, but she wants to push social boundaries farther than that.
The first Arab woman to climb Mount Everest, Ms Al Houby reached her physical and mental limits during the expedition in 2011, but beyond the personal achievement, she hopes her feat will be an inspiration for young women in the region.
“It was a message to all Arab women that nothing is beyond us,” Ms Al Houby says. “When I climbed Everest I had been climbing for 12 years. It is with humility that you climb a mountain because you don’t know if your body will fail you even if you have trained endless hours, or if the weather will turn on you.”
Ticking peaks off a list has never been her goal, although she will attempt Mount Denali, North America’s highest mountain, next summer.
Frostbite and severe weather conditions have twice forced her to withdraw from Denali. The Alaskan peak is the last of the Seven Summits for Ms Al Houby before she joins a select band of mountaineers who have ascended the highest mountains on each continent.
“This mountain is calling me again,” says the Sharjah-based Palestinian. “Some people are fixated about climbing the Seven Summits, for me I climb when I find a beautiful mountain.”
Another passion is charity projects and work with youth groups.
“Taking young people through wilderness experiences and giving them focus is what I love,” says Ms Al Houby, who runs Rahhalah Explorers, an adventure travel company. “I believe this is the best classroom because you can preach but they will soon forget it. But what you do outdoors, you will not forget. I’m passionate about youth camps because it builds character. They are away from everything for three days. The isolation helps clear their minds.”
Many women have sought to gain from her experiences.
“It is inspiring to know that people, especially women in the UAE, are taking the effort to encourage youth to participate in unconventional areas and bring awareness about sports like mountaineering,” says Roudha Al Awadhi, an Emirati engineer and co-founder of UAE Cycling Girls.
“As a cycling group we would love to learn how her knowledge can be shared with other sports.” Ms Al Houby’s training varies from clambering up sand dunes with a heavy backpack, swimming, paddling, running, rowing or gym work.
Family support and setting an example for her daughters, aged 18 and 20, has always been important to her.
“Mountaineering is about you and the elements, so it is good to know there are people behind you to push you up. Support is important but it is also about how much you want to achieve your own dreams. Nobody can dictate it.”
She plans to climb in Pakistan next summer to raise funds for children with cancer.
Last year, she led Palestinian teenage amputees Yasmeen Al Najjar and Mutasem Abu Karsh to become the first Arab amputees to scale Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Each had lost a leg in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“The mountain is just a metaphor, it gives hope,” she said.
“When I saw Yasmeen and Mutasem sobbing at the summit, living the largest dream of their life, it was a rare intense moment that makes you feel your life is worth it.”
rtalwar@thenational.ae
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars
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The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.