Meet Mariam Ktiri - The First Arab Female and Second Female to Complete the World's 7 Summits in One Year (2019)!

I invite you all to virtually meet the lovely and talented Mariam Ktiri. Get your cup of coffee and join us:

A Quick Bio/Snapshot on Mariam in Her Own Words:

I grew up in the beautiful city of Casablanca. I was not really a calm child, which drove especially my mother mad…I loved climbing trees, riding my bike like crazy, making wood fire…As soon as the weather started to become warm, I setup a tent in our house garden and that became my home for most of the time…So I was pretty much outdoor oriented already as a kid.

After High School, I moved to Germany to study Business Administration and International Relations. I settled there after graduation. Now I work as a Consultant managing projects and coaching Top Managers.

First off, Mariam, CONGRATULATIONS!!! on this wonderful record. And we would love to ask you some questions to get to see the world through your eyes, the eyes of a record breaker and an overachiever.


MK: First of all thank you for your kind words. I am honored to be part of your captivating blog and be listed among your special guests. It’s a great channel to share my experience with you and with others. I hope, it’s inspiring for everyone not only in mountaineering but in every other aspect of life. My story is a story of determination.


  

·What motivated you to embark on this journey of climbing?

MK: While living in Munich, I discovered Hiking in my mid-twenties. I was content to hike through the beautiful Bavarian villages. But then soon I started looking for new challenges and moved to climbing. I took several classes with very experienced guides in Rock and Alpine climbing, crevasse rescue, Ice climbing…etc. So the mountains became part of my life.

·What inspired this unique and fearless idea of all 7 world key summits in one year?

MK: The 7 summits in general are a main goal for many climbers, who has ambitious to move to High Altitude Climbing.

For the 7 summits in general I was inspired by follow climbers who summited peaks like Kilimanjaro.

Normally it takes several years to finish the challenge.  But I decided to push it to the limit, train my physical but especially my mental strength and discover new capacities in myself.

Still I have to say, that this was not a decision overnight because of many factors: Physical condition, preparation, Time…Not to mention all the risks related to this challenge…..like high altitude, risk of injuries…etc. and of course the Financials. So it took many years to get all prerequisites before starting this journey.

·What did you think of in the challenging / hard moments to get that extra push to go on? In other words, Did you at any point during training or during the climb feel like giving up? How did you overcome that or what helped you continue?

MK: (It’s a very good question).

The summit pictures we share, show happy climbers with BIG smiles standing on the top of Summits. Those few summit minutes, yes minutes are the reward of days and even months of a very hard work (when thinking of Everest) and those are barely reflected in shots.

So Yes, there were hard and difficult moments, but I never thought of giving up. Because in those kind of challenges, you represent your small and your big family which is your country. So Those two were my biggest motivation to overcome those moments.

·What helped you get there ( i.e.: faith, resilience, preparation, motivational teammates … )

MK: It’s a mix of different variables.

The first and most important one is the preparation:

-   With this I mean physical and mental preparation. It’s crucial to be in a very good shape. The environment in high altitude is harsh. The body needs to get used to work hard and the mental has to be able to deal with that and to stay focused on the goal.

-   Getting the right gear and clothing and getting accustomed with it before. It’s very important to have the right equipment for every environment and every weather. I witnessed, individuals failing in expeditions because they didn’t have the right gear.

Secondly faith. It plays a very important rule here. Not everything is material.

And for sure the motivation. This is very crucial as well. I had fortunately big support from family, the guides and my team mates all over the trips.

·What advice do you have for the youth in general (and Arab/ Berber females in particular) who appreciate the dare devil mindset and are also contemplating taking these summits by the horns - Where should they start what should they do?

MK: First of all, I would like to tell them, that’s a great step and that they have my support!

The 7 summits challenge is a project and should be considered as such. They need to work on fulfilling the pre-requisites mentioned earlier. They need to create a realistic plan. Reaching every milestone gives a push and is a big motivator for the next one.

Still it’s very important to accept failure and that the mountains have the last word. The weather is not predictable 100%. It might be the main obstacle in an expedition.

·In your opinion, (knowing what you know now), what are the absolute Dos and Don’ts of climbing?

 

MK:

Do’s:

-   Be humble in the mountains

-   Be focused

-   Never give up the safety factor, others you might put your life and the lives of your teammates at risk.

-   Listen to the guides or leads. Those are experienced individuals and they act in the interest of the team.

-   Be a team player. You can only reach the Summit as a team.

-   Take care of yourself, only than you act in your own interest and the interest of the team.

-   Respect the local customs and remember that you are just a guest, so behave as such.

Don’ts:

-   Show up late. There is nothing worst, than waiting in the cold for someone to get ready.

-   Have new untested gear or equipment. Try them at home if they are new, to get used to them.

-   Hide health or other issues from the guides or expedition leads.

-   spread bad mood just because you don’t feel good

·What have you learned during these experiences that preparation did not teach you?

MK: Patience….The weather in those big mountains is an important factor for success and which we can’t influence…I remember sitting for days in Everest Base Camp waiting for the right weather window. This was hard!

  

· How do you overcome adversity?

  MK: Focus on the goal, pray to God

· What do you like to do (hobbies) outside of climbing?

 MK: I love traveling

·Are there any remarkable stories that you can share with us from your climbs (good or bad)?

Funny story:

MK: As we came back from the Everest Climb, I agreed with my Sherpa and another group from the same company I was with, that we are leaving for Lhotse (the 4th highest mountain) later in the evening short after midnight. So I rested in my tent in Camp 4. At the agreed time, I was ready to go but there was no-one from the team. I wandered in the camp to look for them, in vain. I double checked my phone, my watch…it was after midnight. So I thought, they were gone without me :-( I took off my boots, went back to sleep. 2 hours later, my Sherpa came to ask, whether I was ready to go….In fact my watch and my mobile are synchronized and they both switched to China Time. Camp 4 is close to the border with China.….What a relief!

Mariam with Qatari climber Fahad Badar during their Lhotse climb. Fahad Badar (First Arab climber to double summit Everest & Lhotse in one Trip May 2019)

Scary story

MK: When climbing Aconcagua, I forgot my helmet hanging in a small hut in a place called “Independencia”, as we made a short break there on the Summit day. Later few meters before reaching the Summit, we made a short break. I was about taking off my backpack when I saw a huge rock falling, I went on my knees hiding my head between my arms. The rock shot towards me. I was so lucky, that it scratched only my backpack and continued rolling towards the steep slopes. It was such a huge rock, the size of a brick. My backpack was completely destroyed after that. Thank God, no one was injured, it could have been worst.

https://instagram.com/mariamktiriadventures?igshid=1i4o1jx0j2hgv

Human / humanitarian story:

MK: I remember when descending a steep and rocky section below the summit of Elbrus, we saw someone laying there with blood all around him. Obviously he slipped and felt on rocks breaking his leg. We were shocked because he just stood few minutes before close to us on the summit. We were all tired from the long summit climb and were looking forward to reach our camp. Still we stopped to help him. I remember everyone was trying to find something to help with like first aid set, Ibuprofen…etc. Those moments of solidarity between climbers are just amazing.

·What is the hardest thing you had to do in this adventure (Think all year, not just Everest)?

MK: The summit days were not easy because they were long days at altitude. I think the hardest thing was to balance between the daily life and the preparations ongoing. I was training very hard and didn’t have that much time to rest or see family and friends. I had to deal with that for months. I wished the day had more than 24 hours!

·Are you the same person now? What has changed after the climb?

MK: The last year has definitely an impact on my personality and the way I see things after. I now believe in the power of mind more than any time before. I am also more relaxed. I see issues or problems in a different way. They appear now relative when I remember, that I had to deal with real issues during this project.

·What would you say to those who want to do it, but are still hesitant?

MK: If they are hesitant, so this is because of different reasons. Those could be either financials or the mental and physical preparation, not knowing what to expect…etc. If there is a weakness here, so they should work on it and make sure, that all prerequisites are fulfilled. Then they will have no hesitation anymore and they will go for it.

·Having raised the bar so high, what would be or what is (if you already know) your next adventure or challenge?

MK: The next challenge will be to share my experience with other climbers. I would like to make sure, that others get my lessons learned. This will help them a lot mastering their climbs.

·There were lots of deaths etc this year did you feel at any point scared or extra worried due to that unfortunate outcome which occurred while you are still there. What message do you have for the victims and their families?

MK: To be honest with you, I was a kind of scared of being in higher camps at the beginning of the expedition. Above 8000m you are in the death zone and the air is very thin. Being dependent on  an oxygen bottle freaked me out. So I had to work on myself here. Also our guides input and briefing took away this fear. I felt comfortable climbing above 7500 m during the summit push, still I was conscious of the risks.

The other thing, which I was worried about was having to climb over dead bodies. When climbing the last meters of Lhotse (8516m) for instance, there was a dead body just in the middle of route. He was sitting there like a climber resting. The rope was just in front of his legs, so there was no way to avoid him. I remember becoming very slow at the sight of his face with those perfect teeth. My Sherpa kept asking whether I am fine as he noticed that I was moving in baby steps.

There were also other bodies on the way up to Everest Camp 4….

  
Seeing them was one of the most difficult moments in those climbs. I was thinking, those were once passionate climbers, who followed their dreams and died fulfilling them. They left their beloved ones behind. I’ll tell them R.I.P. and what might be a comfort for their families is to know, that they died doing what they were passionate about.

·How long did it take you to prepare for this year?
MK: It took me 5 years of serious preparation. Still I have to say, that the preparations started much earlier. I have always been involved in sports and in lot of outdoor activities.


 

·How did you train for these climbs? Diet, work out, research, books, personal trainer? And was it helpful to you on the ground?

MK: The best training was to be in the mountains as much as I could for climbing, hiking, skiing…etc. In addition to that, I had a strict training plan in the gym. This included cardio and weightlifting. Also I did Yoga almost daily to relax and improve my mental skills. I had the support of a personal trainer, who was also my coach. An adequate diet is also very important to reach the target. Depending on the training cycle, it was either more carb or protein rich.

 ·Several people dread the prohibitive cost of the climbs, which can be intimidating, especially Everest. Is it really that expensive or are there now ways to get there at reasonable costs or even via creative funding tools like the go-fund-me, or work and save etc

MK: The costs of the 7 summits are very high, it’s a fact. There are options to go cheap but that might be at the cost of someone’s life. So I was chasing sponsors for many years to get the necessary funding. It was a challenge in itself.

·Is there one person that stood out ( out of all the people you met this past year in your adventures) that you would like to thank through this blog and why did she/he stand out?

MK: My family was my first supporter. I thank them for having been there for me and motivated me especially in the difficult moments.

Thank you very much Mariam, for your genuine kindness, humbleness, and for taking the time to respond to the questions fully and sincerely. I am truly hopeful that many individuals will be inspired by your story and get some additional color on what it takes to climb the seven summits with all their rewards and challenges.

I thank my readers for taking the time to check out this post and if you fell in love with Mariam's positive energy and contagious determination, you can follow her on Instagram at 

@mariamktiriadventures