Nadirah al Harthy, the first Omani woman and the second Omani to climb Mount Everest, conquered the Mount Matterhorn, one of the best-known hardest and most difficult to climb among world mountains, on Tuesday.
Standing at 14,692 feet (4,478 metres), also known in Italian Monte Cervino, French Mont Cervin, Matterhorn is one of the important mountains of the world and icon for Switzerland, and one of the hardest mountains to climb.
Speaking to the Observer from the top of Matterhorn, Nadirah said she felt on top of the world yet again after she climbed the peak. "It's not an easy affair to climb Matterhorn because it's rocky and climbing for ten hours up and down is a risky effort altogether," she said.
Reports suggest that about 3,000 climbers summit the Matterhorn per year and in summer up to 150 climbers can attempt an ascent each day. Tragically, more than 500 people have died climbing Matterhorn while ascending or descending from the summit since the 1865 ascent.
These statistics make Matterhorn amongst the deadliest mountains in the world. By the late 1980s, it was estimated that over 500 people have died whilst attempting its summit with an average of about 12 deaths each year.
"This time I was looking for different experience for myself and my countrymen to see that there are different ways to climb in Europe so that we can get more experience in climbing and feel the 'On top of the world' experience," Nadirah said.
In 2019, Nadirah was part of the all-female Arab team along with Joyce Azzam and Nelly Attar of Lebanon and Mona Shahab of Saudi Arabia who climbed to the top of the world’s highest mountain, The Mount Himalaya.
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