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Dubai: 11-year-old resident summits Mount Kilimanjaro with father

Sophie, whose day starts at 6.30am, would climb a lot of stairs with 6 kgs of weights in her backpack

Going up 30 flights of stairs with 6 kgs of weight in her backpack was part of the training that young Dubai-resident Sophie Bayat did to summit Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain on the African continent.

Sophie, 11, from Canada, is one of the youngest people to have summited the mountain on February 7 with her dad, Sam Bayat. The climbers took the Machame route to the summit of Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak, at 5,895 metres above sea level.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Sophie said that she practices many kinds of sports – so many that she forgot some while listing them only to bring it up again later in the interview. “I play squash, long distance running, roller skating, rock climbing, swimming, skateboarding, roller blading,” she said, before adding 10 minutes later, “Oh yes, I also play football!”

During the 5 months that preceded the climb, Sophie, whose day starts at 6.30am, would climb a lot of stairs with 6 kilos of weights in her backpack. “Taking a backpack up the mountain is pretty heavy and so we have to practice going up with it,” she said. However, it’s not like the real thing. “There were areas where it was really steep on the mountain and the stairs aren’t like that, so you have to be prepared for everything,” she said.

In fact, Sophie said that the sports that she has been practicing has led up to her becoming a mountain climber. “Long distance running, for instance, helps me keep track of my pace and what I’m doing, so I was able to control my pace myself on the mountain to not tire myself too much or to not go too slow,” she said.

But according to Sophie, climbing mountains isn’t just about the physical capabilities, but is 50 per cent about the mentality. “You have to push your brain to believe that it’s going to be alright. I learnt that you could do anything if you set your mind to it. If you tell your brain something, a lot of times your brain will believe it and it will happen,” she said. On the mountain, the entire group encouraged one another – like a family – according to Sophie.

The trip wasn’t without challenges, but she said the advice she’d give anyone who wants to do it is to believe in themselves and to not give up. “One morning, we saw that we had reached an area that was really steep, and we had to climb it. I was worried but I didn’t show it, I was just thinking: ‘how am I going to climb this?’ but then just told myself, it’s not that bad and it was pretty fun. I kinda just did it,” she said.

Sophie said that she enjoyed going on the climb with her father and that it was fun. “We love to do adventures together. Our thing is to be adventurous,” she said, adding that they encouraged each other.

Her proud father, Sam, said that it she is not only busy with sports but is also studying in French, a language which is not her mother tongue. He said that while he focuses on his four children playing sports and studies, experiences like this teach them a lot about the world and about creating social connections with those around them.

“She interacted with other adults from different cultures. She was the only child amongst the 9 other adult climbers. She heard stories from India and Sudan, she learned about different cultures, what people ate, and got to hear many Bollywood songs that were sung by some people in the group,” he said.

Sam, who climbed mountain Everest till above base camp when he was in his 40s, said that it was also a chance for him to bond more with his daughter and to talk more. “We were together the whole time for 8 days. We interacted all the time with no radio, no tv and no mobile network. There were no distractions, and it doesn’t happen all the time,” he said, adding that she would often read while in the tent. “I had a book on Greek Mythology,” chimed in Sophie, “There are so many stories that it would take a year to finish it,” she said.

Her father, who seems to have figured out this elusive thing called parenting, said that in their home, the family always spends time together and that there is no excessive use of social media.

“We sit together as a family, we eat together, and we do activities together. On Friday night, we watch movies and order junk food,” he said adding that it is a stark difference from the families he sees when they go out to restaurants. “I see parents and children on their devices. You go out to socialise and to talk to one another,” he said.

He is keen on travelling with his children and believes it’s an important part of their upbringing. “We travel together and discover the world,” he said, adding that in the future successful people will need to have a better understanding of the world and will need to be curious and learn how to think.

After the climb, Sophie officially has the mountain bug. Her plan is to summit a mountain in every continent. Her next one is Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Russia and Europe, which she plans to climb in June.

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