Bouchra Baibanou: One Step Away from Completing Her Seven Summits Challenge

Rabat – Moroccan mountain climber, Bouchra Baibanou, has arrived at the Annapurna summit – at an altitude of 8091 meters – in Nepal to complete the ambitious seven summits challenge.

If she succeeds, Baibanou will be the first Moroccan to complete the challenge after becoming the first Moroccan and North African woman to climb Everest in 2017.

Located in the Himalayas, Annapurna mountain was the highest mountain that had ever been climbed until the first successful ascent of Mount Everest.

“All these expeditions I have done have allowed me to see the beauty of our planet but also its fragility,” said Baibanou in a press release.

“By discovering the beauty of the landscapes that I saw during my ascents to the summits, I made a commitment to protect our land in order to bequeath it to our children. It’s time to get back to basics and know how to be friends with nature,” she added.

The Moroccan mountain climber started the challenge in March 2011 in Tanzania where she succeeded in reaching the summit of Africa’s highest summit, Kilimanjaro.

She traveled across the world to climb five other summits, including Russia’s Elbrusin July 2012, Argentina’s Aconcagua in January 2014, Alaska’s Denali in June 2014, Indonesia’s Carstensz in November 2015, and Everest in May 2017.

Throughout her journey, Baibanou has inspired Moroccan men and women to take on similar adventures.

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 challenge from renowned public and private entities such as OCP, Redal, Wafacash, Air Arabia, and Decathlon.

Baibanou is a member of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Skiing and Mountain Sports and president of the women’s commission. She is also the president of a mountain sports association named “Delta Evasion.”