Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdalla Al Thani Conquers Mont Blanc
Mohammed Al Thani returns victorious and puts Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) on the map
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdalla Al Thani, Vice Chairman and CEO of Sharjah Shooting Club and founder of Musafir.com, recently returned triumphant from his expedition to climb Mount Blanc, the highest peak in the European Union, as brand ambassador for ROTA.
Mont Blanc is characterized with thick, perennial ice and a snow dome of varying thickness, making it one of the most technical summits that Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani has ever climbed. A one-week training course was required prior to tackling the peak in a grueling three-day ascent. The team of three also had to wear their crampons on their shoes the entire time while being roped together to keep from falling into the dangerously thin ice.
“Preparation for this expedition, just like every experience in my life, has added to my list of aptitudes and made me even more ready for the next challenge. I am very proud of my accomplishment, but would still like to reiterate to my many supporters and fans that it’s not about the peak, it will always be about the climb. Reaching summit is only the cherry on top of an awe-inspiring journey,” said Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani.
As a brand ambassador for Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani epitomizes our organization core beliefs. ROTA works to ensure that people affected by crisis across Asia and around the world have continuous access to relevant and high-quality primary and secondary education, and the mechanism to realize this goal is through youth empowerment. ROTAs pathway to achieving this vision and mission is through enhancing skills development, using sports as a tool for education, integrating environment education, and revitalizing the use of Arabic.
“Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani met his personal goals through his natural ambitions and by giving himself the right tools to fulfill those aims,” said Mr. Essa Al Mannai, ROTA Director. “At ROTA, we strongly believe and recognize that youth are the vehicles of change for their communities. We instill hope for a better future to the youth by enabling them with the proper education and training to allow them to drive change in their communities and for themselves. At the end, it is the hope that empowers change, and Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani perfectly reflects that. Words cannot express our appreciation for his support to our organization and its goals, and we hope that his actions inspire others to advocate for our cause.”
His personal efforts come from a bucket list of over 100 tasks ranging from business to personal goals. All this lies in Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani’s desire to be a positive role model for our youth, in pushing past restrictions to truly tap into the utmost of their potential.
“Taking on a challenge is the biggest part of the adventure. The feeling I get when I am working hard to climb that mountain is beyond words. The beauty, the serenity, and being at one with nature is simply indescribable. I’m not saying you have to go climb a mountain; your passion may very well not be the same as mine, but find out what it is that moves you and go for it.”
In addition to Mount Blanc, Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani has already crossed off Mount Everest Base Camp (in 2009) and Mount Kilimanjaro (in 2010) off his list.
“When people ask me when and where will you be going next, my answer is ‘I’ll see you when I get there’ because I don’t want the focus to be on whether or not I make it, but rather the fact that I’m doing it.”
