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Moroccan “Expedition Team” has recently announced its “Atlas 9” mission to climb Mount Everest.
Adil Taibi, a member of the team in charge of security, told Morocco’s state-owned media that five Moroccans have already climbed the mountain, but “this is the first time a Moroccan team will try to reach the World’s height.”
The goal of this mission is to raise awareness about Morocco and to promote the kingdom’s mountaineering tourism potential. Adil is the only group member who previously climbed Everest in 2021. He is eager to do so again, this time as part of a team.
“It’s also about showing young people that constraints are primarily in our heads,” says the state engineer, who has completed more than 50 summits in Morocco and internationally.
The mountain climber expressed his pride for successfully making it to the world’s peak last year and discussed different challenges he overcame to meet his goal. “Last year was special. At the beginning, I had to overcome the language barrier with sherpas, these Nepalese high mountain guides, who do not master English,” he said.
Talking about his experience, Adil said climbing Everest is learning how to overcome the challenges of freezing temperatures, spontaneous avalanches, lack of oxygen, living on freeze-dried food, and many others.
The Moroccan Atlas 9 team includes a woman and one climber with reduced mobility.
Seloua Bouhlal, an emergency doctor and mountaineer, Ayoub Koutar, an engineer who founded the “Outdooors” platform to promote sports in Morocco, and Anass Errihani, a professional photographer, are among the team members.
Nabil Gayl, the first Moroccan with limited mobility to climb Kilimanjaro (5,895m), Africa’s highest summit, is also a member.
The remaining members of the Atlas 9 are El Mehdi Amezzane, a peak climber who has conquered more than 48 summits, Yassine Ghallam, a globetrotter who challenged himself to circumnavigate the globe in six years, Mohamed Ouassil, a seasoned athlete who has climbed several summits in Africa, Europe, and Latin America, and Ibrahim Bennouna, a Moroccan engineer who has conquered several summits in Morocco and elsewhere.
These adrenaline-fueled athletes are currently concluding their preparations before traveling to the Himalayan range, which divides the Indian subcontinent from China.
