Qatari mountaineer Fahad Badar peaks K2 battling odds

Qatari mountaineer Fahad Badar, who lost more than four fingers to severe frostbite during an expedition in October 2021, has conquered K2, the world's second-highest mountain at 8,611m, on July 22.

K2, which straddles the borders of Pakistan and China, is considered the most difficult to climb and the most dangerous, due to its steep slope, the banker and adventurer explained in a tweet.

Badar raised Qatar's National Flag as well as the flags of the Qatar Society for the Rehabilitation of Special Needs and the Qatar Cancer Society atop K2. He described the gesture as "a personal initiative to highlight the importance of the role of people of determination in society and to support patients and families of cancer patients."

In a series of tweets, Badar recounted his past experiences. "Throughout my life, I went through many challenges, the most difficult of which was losing my fingers (four fingers on his left hand and a portion of a finger on his right hand) last year in October, after the Broad Peak climbing accident. Facing this loss and deciding to return to mountain climbing was another very difficult challenge that required doubling the psychological preparation before the physical.

"After nine months of the amputation of the fingers, and drawing up a plan to return to climbing, I found my mind in a confrontation with my body to challenge the physical disability and to embark on a new climbing trip, which may not differ much from the previous trips, but it definitely brought me back to life again.

"I climbed Mount K2 with a group of Arab climbers from Qatar, Lebanon, Oman and the UAE. I thank my family, friends and everyone who supported me and believed in my abilities," he added in another tweet.

As seen on GulfTimes  Image Credits GulfTimes