Nadhira Alharthy: Omani climber wants to 'die empty' in her quest to share knowledge

By Sana Noor Haq, CNN

Updated 0852 GMT (1652 HKT) June 16, 2021

Nadhira Alharthy became the first Omani woman to summit Everest in 2019.

(CNN)It was a chance encounter that would change her life forever. In 2017, Nadhira Alharthy met the first Omani man to climb Everest.

Khalid al-Siyabi had summited Everest seven years earlier. He was part of a group of pioneering Omanis who were telling their inspirational stories at an assembly hosted by the Ministry of Education, where Alharthy was working as the director of citizenship at the time. That evening she made a pledge to replicate al-Siyabi's achievement, using his mentorship as guidance.«His story, it touched me,» she tells CNN Sport. «I was inspired to do something for myself [...] to challenge myself.»Building up her strengthRead MoreBefore training to climb the world's tallest mountain, Alharthy's workout routine extended to going to the gym a few times a week. She knew she had to dramatically change gears, beginning with strengthening her muscles and improving her resistance. With al-Siyabi's help, her training schedule developed into that of a fully-fledged endurance athlete, consisting of running, hiking, rock climbing, canyoning and caving. The physical preparation for Everest was challenging, but improving her mental stamina was even harder. «Training the mind [...] it's harder than training our bodies,» she says. In the two years leading up to the climb, the only other person who knew about Alharthy's ambition was al-Siyabi. «We kept it as a secret for a long time,» she says.She wasn't just building up her mental strength for Everest, but also working up the courage to tell her family: «I was scared to tell them because I just decided to go to Everest without any