UAE teenager becomes youngest Arab to summit Antarctica’s highest peak

Emirati mountaineer Fatima Abdulrahman Al Awadhi has become the youngest and first Arab to reach the summit of Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest peak, marking a major milestone for the UAE and the wider Arab world.

Al Awadhi, 18, reached the 4,892-metre summit on Jan. 6 after completing a demanding expedition in extreme conditions, with temperatures dropping below minus 40 degrees Celsius, according to WAM.

The ascent represents the third peak in her quest to conquer the Seven Summits — the highest mountains on each continent.

She dedicated the achievement to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and to Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, known as the “Mother of the Nation”, citing their support for youth and women.

Speaking about the climb, Al Awadhi described Mount Vinson as her most challenging ascent yet.

“Mount Vinson is a huge step up compared to my previous summits,” she said. “It is far colder and far more isolated, requiring a high level of self-reliance and mental strength.”

She added that the experience transformed her perspective.
“Once I stood at the summit and looked out over a sea of ice, I realised the mountain did not make me suffer — it made me much stronger,” she said.

The expedition was supported by UAE-based Palms Sports and Dar Al Takaful Finance, which had also backed her successful climb of Mount Elbrus in Europe in July 2025, when she became the youngest Emirati to reach that summit.

Al Awadhi said carrying the UAE flag atop Antarctica’s highest peak carried deep national significance.

“Raising the UAE flag on the world’s highest peaks reflects a nation built on opportunity and inspiration,” she said. “Without the support the UAE gives its youth, this journey would have been far more difficult.”

A university student majoring in economics, she said her message to young people — particularly Arab women — is to pursue ambition alongside education.

“It’s not just about summits,” she said. “We are not just the generation of the future; we are the generation of today.”

Her Mount Vinson ascent brings her closer to completing the Explorer’s Grand Slam, which involves climbing the Seven Summits and reaching both the North and South Poles, further strengthening the UAE’s presence in high-altitude adventure sports.