Sulaiman al Naabi: The journey of the Omani adventurer

Muscat - Starting from an early passion for nature, sports and mountains, Omani adventurer Sulaiman bin Hamoud al Naabi charted his course in the world of mountaineering, recording historic achievements by raising the flag of the Sultanate of Oman on the highest global peaks, most notably his arrival at the summit of Everest as the first Omani and second Arab, in addition to completing the Seven Summits program.

Al-Naabi pointed out that the timing of his being honored with the Royal Commendation Medal carries profound implications, stressing that this medal represents a national honor and trust, and motivates him to continue working and transforming the experience into a sustainable impact for Omani youth, enhancing the presence of the Sultanate of Oman in international forums, and linking individual achievement to the national institutional path.

Sulaiman al Naabi said, “In 2015, I participated in an official educational trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, without prior knowledge of the Seven Summits program. After completing the summit, I learned about the program from the trip leader, who described it as one of the greatest mountain challenges in the world. That moment marked the turning point from which my professional journey in the climbing world summits began.”

He added that his transition from hobby to profession came after learning about the Seven Summits program, where he realized that what he had started of passion could be transformed into a structured professional path.
From there, he began conscious planning, committing to accredited training programs, and building cumulative experience based on discipline, safety, and risk management.
He noted that the transition to professionalism was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a gradual process that required time, effort, and physical and mental preparation, until participation was now conducted according to international standards and in a manner befitting the representation of the Sultanate of Oman in global forums.

Regarding the Seven Summits challenge, Al Naabi said that this challenge is based on climbing the highest peak in each of the seven continents of the world. It is considered one of the most difficult mountain challenges globally due to the high level of physical and psychological readiness it requires, long-term planning, and the ability to deal with diverse climatic and geographical environments.
In addition to this challenge, reaching the North and South Poles is added, together forming what is known globally as the Grand Slam Explorer program, which is one of the most dangerous and rarest exploration programs in the world, and is only accomplished by a limited number of adventurers due to its exceptional complexities and risks.

He said that his journey with world summits began on September 30, 2015, with the ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, which was the actual starting point of his professional career.
Then, on December 19, 2016, he managed to reach the summit of Aconcagua in South America, becoming the first Omani to reach the second-highest peak in the world.

He added, 'On July 23, 2018, he reached Mount Elbrus in Russia, the highest peak in Europe. On September 3 of the same year, he completed the Seven Summits program approved by New Zealand within an organized professional route. He continued his journey on February 16, 2019, by climbing Mount Kosciuszko in Australia. Then, on June 20 of the same year, he became the first Omani to reach the summit of Denali in Alaska, the highest peak in North America. On August 25, 2019, he managed to climb Mont Blanc in France, the highest peak in Western Europe, in preparation for the challenges of the next, larger summits.

He noted that in 2022, his achievements escalated, as he climbed Mount Lobochi on May 1 in preparation for the summit of Everest, then his biggest dream was realized on May 12 by climbing the highest mountain peak in the world, the summit of Everest, and less than 24 hours later, he climbed the summit of Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain peak in the world, and on December 16 he reached Mount Vinson in the South Pole, before visiting the pole itself on December 24 of the same year.

He added that on April 23, 2023, he continued his journey by climbing the highest mountain peak in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic, and concluded this historic journey on February 28, 2025, by climbing the Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania, becoming the first Omani to complete the Seven Summits program with access to both the North and South Poles.

Regarding the most prominent challenges he faced, Al-Naabi said: “The challenges were not only physical, but also psychological and mental, as the extreme environment requires endurance and decision-making under pressure. I faced freezing temperatures reaching 60 degrees below zero, fierce winds, the dangers of avalanches, and a lack of oxygen at high altitudes, with vertical climbing by ropes on highly dangerous technical routes. On a psychological level, isolation, the long duration of the missions, and being away from home posed a great challenge, and seeing climbers who lost their lives on some routes made it even more difficult.”

One of the most prominent milestones was also the professional and financial challenge, as I worked as a physics teacher at the Ministry of Education, and it was necessary to reconcile professional duty with the program requirements, which included frequent overseas missions. Later, my services were transferred to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth, which allowed me to focus on the program professionally. Regarding the financial aspect, the support came from the Ministry of Culture, Sport,s and Youth, which turned the challenge from an obstacle into a sustainable project. The support was not just funding, but reflects a message that goes beyond individual achievement to empowering Omani youth and enhancing the presence of the Sultanate of Oman internationally.

He added that logistical difficulties were also part of the challenge, from traveling and moving between multiple continents, and dealing with different environments, systems, and time zones, stressing that overcoming these difficulties was achieved first through faith in God, then through planning, discipline, teamwork, and responsible decision-making.

Al-Naabi said that his experience was not limited to individual achievement, but rather turned into a sustainable societal impact, through his membership in the National Youth Committee, and his leadership of the “Young Traveler” project to train and teach young people the routes and build a culture of safe adventure, in addition to participating in the development of adventure sports in the Sultanate of Oman through his membership in the Omani Adventure Committee and preparing awareness lectures for safety in natural environments.