- Title: Lebanese Everest climber recalls hardship, eyes Seven Summits
- Date: 22nd July 2019
- Summary: TANNOURINE, LEBANON (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LEBANESE EVEREST CLIMBER, TIMA DERYAN, SAYING: "I took out the flag of Lebanon and it was really cold and I wanted to make sure the cedar tree was showing in the picture but it kept getting thrown off by the wind so I was stooping to pick up the flag and then standing up again and it was too cold and one point all I could think of was I hope the flag is showing properly, so what was I feeling? All I cared about was to show the flag."
- Embargoed: 5th August 2019 16:50
- Keywords: Lebanese climber Lebanese adventurer female climber Lebanese who climbed Everest Lebanese woman climber
- Location: TANNOURINE, LEBANON AND EVEREST, NEPAL
- City: TANNOURINE, LEBANON AND EVEREST, NEPAL
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Climbing,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA00CAOV2EDX
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Tima Deryan had finally made it to the top. Oblivious to the fact that she was making history, she reached the peak of the world's highest mountain, Everest, on May 22, 2019 at 7:30 a.m. after a 12-hour summit push that made her the first Lebanese woman to reach the 8,848-metre-summit.
Deryan's climb came after two months of endurance building and waiting for the right weather, but her experience was dampened by the bottleneck caused by other climbers, some of whom lacked the necessary experience to summit.
At least 11 people died this year climbing Mount Everest due to poor weather conditions, inexperience and overcrowding. Nepalese officials said nine died on the Nepali side and two on the Tibetan side, making this the deadliest season since 2015.
Deryan, who has climbed 18 mountains around the world in the last four years, says she only found out she was the first woman from Lebanon to climb Everest upon her descent.
As one of the three women climbing Everest this year, timing was on Deryan's side. The other two - Joyce Azzam and Nelly Attar who were part of a different expedition made it to the summit the next day, May 23.
Deryan said her aim was just to make it to the top regardless of whether first or not but having gained this title makes her feel an added responsibility to give back to the mountain.
Deryan, who lives in Dubai working in finance began a start-up in 2018 called Yalla Cleaning. Based in the UAE, she hopes the start-up will become a portal for cleaning services around the region.
According to Deryan climbing Everest requires a budget of $30,000 to $45,000 per person, and for this she almost emptied out her savings.
The Lebanese climber said she was passionate about sports and extreme sports since she was young and had over the years tried everything from scuba diving to rock climbing.
But it was only when she climbed that she found her true passion and strength. Every mountain she has climbed has taught her something whether it was technical knowledge, endurance and even humility.
On top of Everest, Deryan had little time and she used it trying to adjust the Lebanese national flag while she held it up against the wind for a photo.
The adventurer is cautiously enjoying her achievement, working hard to remind herself to stay humble about it.
"If Everest didn't take my soul, another mountain will do it if I am overconfident," she said.
Like many mountaineers, Deryan she set a target for herself to climb what is known as the "Seven Summits", the highest peaks in seven continents. Joyce Azzam, who arrived to top of Everest on May 23, became the first woman in Lebanon to complete this challenge.
Deryan has reached six out of the seven peaks, which she has tattooed on her left foot.
But she will not stop dreaming after climbing all Seven Summits. There are still many more mountains to climb, she said.
(Production: Ayat Basma, Issam Abdallah) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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