Yasmine Al-Qahtani is the executive director of the Saudi Climbing and Hiking Federation (SCHF).
She became interested in rock climbing in 2013, and has since climbed in Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain, the US and Saudi Arabia.
She grew up in Germany, and exploring the outdoors was an essential part of her life: Camping and trekking were almost weekly activities.
Her drive to encourage more people to partake in the sport, and challenge their physical and mental strength, led her to become an instructor.
She became the first Saudi rock climbing instructor, certified by the American Mountain Guides Association, in January 2017. Since then, she has been based in the Kingdom.
In 2015, Yasmin hiked to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, while she has also taken part in various climbs, like the Aiguille du Tour, Tete Blanche, Petite Fourche, and the surrounding peaks on the Col du Midi, in Chamonix, France.
Her most memorable ascent was reaching the summit of Mont Blanc in 2016.
The SCHF recently organized its summer academy, which took place over four days in Tanomah, through which participants were introduced to the basics of rock climbing, hiking, self-reliance and coping with the desert environment.
The academy aims to increase the number of climbers and hikers in the Kingdom.
“The academy witnessed significant interaction from many young people and their parents, which encouraged us to hold the event on future occasions,” said Al-Qahtani, who also commended the support of Asir Gov. Prince Turki bin Talal, who provided the facilities for the academy.
