'Salutes to Oman' was inscribed on top of Vinson's Peak, the highest peak in Antarctica, some 5,000 metres above sea level (ASL) when adventurer Suleiman bin Hamood al Nabei conquered it on Saturday.
Known as Vinson Massif (16,067), located only 660 nautical miles from the South Pole, it is the highest peak in Antarctica and one of the 'Seven Summits'.
Hailing from Wadi al Maawil in the Batinah Governorate, Suleiman made his country proud by reaching the South Pole, the centre of the earth, on the same trip, and also became the first Omani to finish the ascent of the Seven Global Summits and the South Pole.
Speaking to the Observer from Chile, an excited Suleiman said he is proud to be an Omani which made him at the pinnacle of success.
"I'm indeed proud to be an Omani whose terrain formatted me into an adventurer. This is the new year gift to my country, which I gained after nearly seven years of hard work and attempts since I began my goal to conquer the Seven Summits," Suleiman said.
It took nearly seven years (out of which two years of pandemic went without attempts or training) for Suleiman to mark his nation on the map of mountaineering after he started the mission in 2015. However, it took one month for the complete preparations and to excel the peak this time, and he left Oman on December 1, 2022.
A reception is planned to welcome Suleiman when he returns on January 7, according to sources.
"I've long experience in climbing, trekking and mountaineering because I am from Oman, the 'Land of Mountains, ' which helped me fall in love with the ruggedness and get in terms with the cliffs and wilderness of the rocks," adds Suleiman who is working for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth.
Suleiman began to trek at a tender age with his father's support. It continued through extreme weather conditions of summer and winter during all the years. Later, he began to inspire his peers to conquer heights; today, he has a big team of like-minded people who frequently explore heights.
It's not the first time Suleiman is making Oman proud after climbing heights under extreme conditions. He climbed Mount Everest, 8,849m above sea level, and Lhotse peak, the fourth highest peak in the world, at 8,516m above sea level in 2015.
It was part of the strenuous preparations part of for the Grand Slam programme under which climbers aim to reach the seven summits, which include Mount Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Vinson, and Puncak Jaya or Kosciuszko on every continent and reach the south and north poles.
"Our youth needs to focus on one of the sports activities whereby his or her focus would be on health and fitness so that we can keep the dangers of drugs away from the society," Suleiman told the Observer, as a message to the youth, adding, 'youth should bear the national flag and aim to becoming a part of the global peace initiatives."
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