KUWAIT CITY, 1 October 2005 — Zed Al Rifai, the first Arab to climb and reach the summit of Mount Everest is now officially the first Arab to climb and reach the summit of Cho Oyo mountain.
In a statement he sent via a satellite communication device on Sept. 22, at 13:50 Beijing time, Zed announced his successful climb to Mount Cho Oyo from altitude 8,201 meters.
Zed was scheduled to reach summit of Cho Oyo mountain on Sept. 23.
“Today, we made it to the top of Cho Oyo, one day ahead of schedule, thanks to team work, hard work and the great level of endurance that the whole team has demonstrated throughout the expedition,” he commented joyfully.
Gillette Middle East, which is sponsoring the climbing adventure, lost no time in citing Zed for his success.
“We congratulate Zed for yet another great achievement and invite all youth to take him as a role model,” said Timur Edis, regional business manager of Gillette Disposables.
“Gillette has been anticipating this moment, and has definitely been excited by his trip and we will always look forward to similar successful initiatives in sports in the region,” he added.
Gillette Middle East, known for its strong support for sports, said it was sponsored Zed’s climbing adventure in its aim to attract new Middle Eastern-based fans to the inside story of mountain climbing heroes from this region.
Zed, a Kuwaiti national and the first Arab to climb Mount Everest, is now the 46th person to climb all 7 highest summits in the 7 continents of the world.
On Sept. 9, he began his adventure to climb Cho Oyo, the sixth highest mountain in the world.
Located on the border of Tibet and Nepal, 30 kilometers west of Mount Everest, Cho Oyo’s 8,201-meter summit makes it the sixth highest mountain in the world.
Freezing temperatures, a summit at death zone (above 8000 meters), extreme weather conditions such as howling winds and burning sunlight, all contribute to making Cho Oyo one of the most challenging mountain climbs in the world.
Extreme areas are known to lack terrestrial communications infrastructure, as such, Zed uses the revolutionary Regional BGAN satellite telecommunications system supplied by Inmarsat, a world leader in the satellite telecommunications equipment.
Zed’s update on his climbing adventure can be found on http://www.everestnews.com/exp2005.
