Nelly Attar () is a

mountaineer Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...

from

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

who in 2022, became the first

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

woman to summit K2. Attar is a former psychologist. She has an MRes in psychology and has worked four years as a therapist, prior to shifting into sports.

Early life

Attar is a Saudi-born Lebanese. She completed her academic studies in Psychology and was awarded a B.Sc. from the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

, and MRes from

Kingston University Kingston University London is a Public university, public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South London, South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded ...

in London. She started her career as a psychologist and life coach. Attar later shifted careers to follow her passion for fitness and physical activity.

Climbing career

Attar started mountain climbing in 2007 when she climbed

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Meru people, Meru: ''Kĩrĩmaara,'' Kikuyu people, Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba language, Kamba: ''Ki nyaa'', Embu language, Embu: ''Kĩ nyaga'') is an extinct volcano in Kenya and the Highest mountain peaks of Africa, second-highe ...

. In 2015, she climbed

Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano i ...

, and in 2016, climbed

Elbrus Mount Elbrus; ; is the highest mountain in Russia and Europe. It is a dormant volcano, dormant stratovolcano rising above sea level, and is the highest volcano in Eurasia, as well as the List of mountain peaks by prominence, tenth-most promi ...

. In 2017, Attar scaled several major mountains including

Aconcagua Aconcagua () is a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in both the Western Hemisphere and the ...

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

Gran Paradiso The Gran Paradiso () or Grand Paradis ( ) is a mountain in the Graian Alps in Italy, located between the Aosta Valley and Piedmont regions. It is located in Gran Paradiso National Park. Etymology The Italian toponym ''Gran Paradiso'' deriv ...

, Mount Stanley, and

Mount Speke Mount Speke lies in the Ruwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the D ...

. The following year she re-climbed Kilimanjaro, and ascended

Lenin Peak Lenin Peak or Ibn Sina (Avicenna) Peak (, ; ; , renamed () in July 2006
(Tajik); for Russian tex
Island Peak, and Lobuche. In 2019, Attar along with three other Arab Women, Joyce Azzam, Mona Shahab, and Nadhira Al Harthy, climbed

Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at its ...

. It was described as an "all-woman Arab team". In 2021, Attar scaled

Denali Denali (), federally designated as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak on land, measuring . On p. 20 of Helm ...

(turning back 100m from the summit), and

Ama Dablam Ama Dablam is a mountain in the Eastern Himalayas range of Koshi Province, Nepal. The main peak is , the lower western peak is . Ama Dablam means "mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother (''ama'') protecting he ...

. In 2022, Attar scaled K2, completed the Breithorn Traverse Traverse, and ascended the Matterhorn. Attar has claimed a number of firsts in her mountaineering career, becoming the first Arab woman to Summit the K2 in 2022, the first Arab woman to summit Mount Stanley and Mount Speke in 2017, and the first Lebanese Woman to climb

and the

Matterhorn The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...

. Attar became the first Lebanese to summit

Lhotse Lhotse ( ; ; ) is the List of highest mountains#List, fourth-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga. At an elevation of above sea level, the main summit is on the border between Tibet Autonomous Region of Chin ...

in May 2024. On May 10, 2025, Attar became the first Arab woman to scale

Makalu Makalu (; ) is the fifth-highest mountain on Earth, with a summit at an elevation of AMSL. It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas southeast of Mount Everest, on the China–Nepal border. One of the eight-thousanders, Makalu is an isolat ...

Awards

Attar has received multiple awards throughout her career, including a Guinness World Record for the highest number of four-finger pull-ups in one minute. In 2023, Attar was honored with the Laureus Sporting Moment Award in recognition of her achievements..In 2023 as well, Attar was recognized by Fast Company as one of the Most Creative People in Business for “Rewriting the Rules.”

Other activities

Attar launched MOVE in 2017, during the time Saudi started undergoing national transformation. MOVE is the first dance studio in Saudi Arabia. Attar has scaled 23+ peaks globally since 2015. She has also completed 6 Marathons, a dozen triathlons, and 1 ultramarathon; Hajar trail race. In 2023, Attar set the female record for the Most Four Finger Pull-ups (2 fingers per hand) in 1 minute.

References

External links

Website A website (also written as a web site) is any web page whose content is identified by a common domain name and is published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, educatio ...