Elham
Qasimi
PEOPLE
In April 2010, Elham Qasimi (brand ambassador of Adventure HQ) successfully trekked an unsupported expedition to the Geographic North Pole. During her often arduous but mostly inspiring three-week journey, Elham skied cross-country to the North Pole starting at 89 degrees latitude. As a result of her success she became the first Arab woman to set foot on the North Pole and the first UAE national to undertake an unsupported expedition to the North Pole. We present an exclusive interview of one of the most inspirational women of the world today. Would you say, the north pole was your biggest achievement so far? Not only as a personal one also as an Emirati women? Yes it was, but it was not necessarily the step onto the pole itself that embodies this achievement much as it is the most visible aspect of it all. It is the journey to actually have the courage and the resilience to get there, and in my view the most difficult depth of courage to draw upon is the courage to surrender. I
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had to draw upon this a lot in the months leading up to the expedition. I chose the journey for the fun of it but also as a catalyst to really do some ‘housekeeping’ of my life and where I dedicated my energy as I felt there was leakage of my energy so to speak. I had no idea when I set out how tough the task of organizing and cleaning up my life to square up to the challenge would be. In the end it was a gift. I will never forget how tough it was, especially each time I meet a charged Emirati woman at a public event, or motivational talk, and see that mix of questions and fire in their look, wanting to pursue their own unbeaten road but struggling to understand how to cut through the many layers. It is why I will never tire of engaging with them, with young people, and with people of other backgrounds alike. What was the motivation for this expedition? And what did it mean to you to succeed? I think I answered this in the previous question, but will elaborate further. Did you ever want to give up? What was the hardest part (day) from the first day until your success? There was a day perhaps three days into the expedition when the
profound amount of silence, newly created mental space, and solitude surfaced old ghosts. You would think the extreme physical conditions your body is put through would be the hardest part, and it was indeed physically grueling. However it is when your mental composure deteriorates that you actually risk failure. That day I learned in order to move forward there were things I had to leave behind. Realising I would not make it if I didn’t purge myself of such old fears, doubts, and so on, I had no choice but to try much as it felt like a step in the dark. It was a very personal experience, but I remember looking behind me as I skied and almost seeing little old beaten suitcases falling off the load on my shoulders. I remember feeling lighter as I skied on. And shockingly thinking those old stories and experiences I held onto made me who I was and underpinned my success. I let go and realized success was my own blood sweat and toil, it always had been all my life, and I simply undermined and held myself back by believing otherwise. It’s easy to say that now with the benefit of hindsight, but it was a very scary shot in the dark almost like stripping back your sense of identitiy and questioning whether it really is what you think it is. It turned out to be the best thing that ever has happened to me, a gift. All growth and progress comes through pain. We are sure, this was not your last adventure. Are you planning further expeditions? Can you tell us something about them? Any reminder or pictures of the north pole, and I immediately have a deep pull to do it all over again. And then there is the other par tof me that never wants to feel that cold again! Suffice to say despite the conflicting desires the spirit of advaneture is rooted firmly in my soul. I can’t discuss the actual