Nelly Attar, a Lebanese mountaineer, born and raised in Saudi Arabia, began a 50-day journey to become the first Arab woman to summit K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, saying she wanted to use her climbs as a vehicle to inspire women across the Middle East.
Something About Nelly Attar
Attar, in 2017 left her career as a mental health professional to focus on sports and expeditions. She is the founder of Move Studio, Saudi Arabia’s first dance studio. In 2020, the Muslim Women Network named her “One of the Top Influential Women in Sports,” while Sports 360 in 2019 called her the “Female Fitness Influencer of the Year Across the GCC.”
Nelly Attar Climbing Journey
Attar’s climbing journey started in 2007 when she climbed Mount Kenya. Kilimanjaro in 2015 and Elbrus in 2016. After that, she never looked back and surpassed every mountain she had on her way from Elbrus, Mont Blanc, Gran Paradiso, Mount Speke, and Mount Stanley; the last was Mount Everest in 2019.
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Attar had been thinking about climbing K2 for the last three years, but her father’s passing last year had sparked the urge to execute her dream on his first death anniversary. She trained for K2 in Nepal at Ama Dablam, a 6,000-meter peak many mountaineers say resembles K2.
Nelly Training
Nelly’s climbing training has been about spending as much time as possible on her feet. She has been hiking around the region — from Saudi Arabia and Amman to Ras Al Khaimah — to get the right elevation and training volume, as well as for her back to get accustomed to increased loads.
In the past, she has struggled with freezing temperatures at high altitudes. To combat this, her K2 training regime involves taking a lot of ice baths, both for her nervous system to cope with extreme weather and for the psychological aspect of being OK with being cold.
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She trains as soon as she wakes up daily, which is when she has the most energy. She starts training between 3 am, and 4 am for a couple of hours, then comes home to have the biggest breakfast and take on the day.
Nelly’s Diet
Attar has been doing a lot of legs, arm, and core strength workouts to be in the fittest shape possible; she is now in a phase where she is gaining a little weight to have some fat reserve for when she is on the mountain.
Bateel, Nelly’s nutrition partner, provides personalized energy bars and healthy meals, but she also has her selection of chocolates, sweet treats, and coffee — she is a coffeeholic!
Special in Nelly’s diet
Dates are another superfood that Nelly significantly adds to her meals. She used to break her fast with dates while climbing Saudi Arabia’s highest peak, Jabal Sawda. These dates have traveled far with her, from the sea and dunes to rocky peaks and snow. They are rich in the nutrients, fiber, antioxidants, and minerals essential for athletes. And yes, plenty of water! Nelly usually has three liters every day.
Nelly’s Pro Note
Eating well is also vital when you’re finally faced with scaling a mountain, even if you lose your appetite. It ensures you have energy for the ascent and descent. Eating well will help you keep fit and decrease the risk of cold-related injuries. The same goes for drinking a lot of water to acclimatize properly.
To get more information on Nelly Attar check out her website Nellyattar.com
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