Anisa al Raisi aims to be first Omani to ski to Geographic North Pole
Muscat resident and Outward Bound Oman instructor Anisa al Raisi, 34, is attempting to become the first Omani to reach the Geographic North Pole.
She is part of an all-women’s Euro-Arabian North Pole Expedition led by British polar explorer Felicity Aston.
The team has started a tenday 100km skiing expedition on the treacherous shifting pack ice of the Arctic Ocean to reach the Geographic North Pole.
The Geographic North Pole is different from the Magnetic North Pole which Omani adventurer Nabil al Busaidi reached in
2009.
Apart from Oman, the expedition has participants from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Slovenia, Sweden, France, Cyprus, Russia and the UK.
Anisa said, “I will be very proud to hold the Omani flag at the top of the world - but this never has been about me, or being the first. This is about empowering young men and women to face the adversities life throws at them. I am thankful to the team at Omantel for their support to this expedition.”
Said Salim al Shanfari, general manager - marketing communications and performance at Omantel, which is an expedition sponsor, said, “We are hopeful that she will be back home with a rewarding experience. An experience that delivers a message to other young Omanis ‘Yes, you can do it’ and the only boundaries to your sky high dreams are your passion, dedication and hard work.”
As well as the perils of temperatures as low as -40°C, other hazards the team face include movements of the pack ice that may split apart to reveal open water or push together to form walls of ice that have to be crossed. There is also the threat of predatory polar bears.
The team earlier gathered in the remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard from where they flew to the floating ice station ‘Barneo’. They started their ski journey from the station.