Moroccan mountain climber Bouchra Baibanou has succeeded in climbing the Annapurna summit in Nepal, becoming the first Arab woman to set foot on the world’s most intimidating mountain.
The Moroccan climber took to social media on Saturday morning to happily announce that she had successfully reached the tip of the Annapurna summit, dedicating this achievement to all Moroccan people.
“I am very proud to succeed in climbing Annapurna1 8091m, one of the most difficult summits in the world. It’s a gift for all the Moroccan and especially for the women Moroccan, Arab and Muslim,” she captioned.
With this latest achievement, Baibanou has become the first Moroccan and North African woman to complete the seven-summits challenge. This success also makes the Moroccan alpinist one of the very few people to have climbed what is widely considered the world’s deadliest mountain.
The Moroccan mountain climber started the challenge in March 2011 in Tanzania where she succeeded in climbing Africa’s highest peak, Kilimanjaro.
She traveled around the world to climb five more peaks, including Elbrus in Russia in July 2012, Aconcagua in Argentina in January 2014, Denali in Alaska in June 2014, Carstensz in Indonesia in November 2015, and Everest in May 2017.
Located in the Himalayas, Annapurna mountain is the world’s 10th highest peak – yet one of the most feared summits among climbers.
The mountain is widely known among alpinists and climbers as a “killer mountain” due to its morbid history.
It has the highest fatality rate (29%), ahead of the world’s tallest mountain Everest.
According to data from the Himalayan Database, 72 mountain climbers died out of 244 expeditions to Annapurna mountain.
Baibanour’s inspiring journey set an example for many Moroccan men and women to follow the lead.
On Throne Day in 2015, King Mohammed VI gave her a special award to honor her achievements in mountain climbing.
After receiving public attention and media coverage, the athlete has secured financial support for her inspiring successes from renowned public and private entities such as OCP, Redal, Wafacash, Air Arabia, and Decathlon.
