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Dubai-based mountaineer, Atte Miettinen, takes on the Seven Summits challenge

t’s sometimes amazing the superstars that we walk and work next to in Dubai. Take telecoms executive, Atte Miettinen who’s been living in Dubai for the last fiveI years and been climbing for the last nine years. Now we’re not talking hills here, but proper peaks. He’s climbed (5895m) in a couple of times, (4810m) in a couple of times, (5642m) in , Mount Ararat (5137m) in Turkey, Carstensz Pyramid (4808m) in , (4897m) in , Cerro (6962m) in – its easy to see that climbing is a passion for him. It’s this passion that has lead to recently putting his career on hold and taking a sabbatical to pursue a personal dream of climbing the Seven Summits, the highest mountains of each . The Seven Summits have been climbed by only 336 people in history, including no-one from his native Finland or his adopted home long process it requires to acclimatize To get to the , climbers need the UAE. Atte recently returned to Dubai one’s body to the low oxygen levels on to arrange a private plane to fly them from Argentina where he climbed Cerro the mountain. The summit of Everest, in the middle of the jungle, to a village Aconcagua, the fifth of his Seven Summits. at 8850m above sea-level, has just about that was discovered only 60 years ago. His next expedition will be to this 30% of the oxygen compared to sea-level. The local tribesmen walk around naked, month to climb . This This means that for every breath we take wearing only a koteca (to cover their john expedition to the highest mountain in in the UAE, Atte needs to take 3.3 just to thomas), carrying machetes, bows and the world will be a formidable challenge get the same amount of oxygen, which arrows and enjoying the occasional giant and will take approximately two months means that everything becomes a major spider as a meal. Atta trekked 100km door-to-door. Almost immediately after strain on the body. In order to cope with through the jungle and grasslands from Mount Everest, he plans to fly to the USA this, every climber needs to be in great the village to the base of the mountain, the to pursue the last of his Seven Summits, shape. Unfortunately, the UAE doesn’t most technical of the Seven Summits. The , hopefully summiting the mountain offer many training opportunities for climb itself went according to plan, but before the end of June 2012. high-altitude mountaineers, but what on the way back, one of the climbers got Climbing Mount Everest today is a it lacks in high mountains it makes up into a problem and had to be evacuated very different challenge than it was for in high buildings. Atte is leveraging to a near-by gold mine. He and the other in 1953 when Sir Edmund Hillary and this by spending a lot of time climbing climber were locked up by armed guards Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the stairs of his 55 story apartment building for two days, before being taken to a summit for the first time. While the climb wearing a 25kg backpack – each exercise hospital for a few days and eventually has become easier in the last 60 years session includes climbing 200-300 floors, flown out of the jungle with a helicopter. thanks to developments in equipment, which takes several hours and is the best This is a real-life Indiana Jones story weather forecasting and support services simulation of mountain climbing. unlike anything most people have ever on the mountain, reaching the top of But not all Atte’s training is simulation. heard of... and just one example of the Mount Everest is by no means easy. The For example, last May, he was in Indonesia adventures Seven Summit climbers get expedition Atte is about to embark on to climb one of the Seven Summits, themselves into.

takes two months, mostly due to the Carstensz Pyramid.

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w When did you start the Seven Summits I finally made the decision to pursue the I come from Finland and have always been challenge and what prompted the Seven Summits, so I took a sabbatical into outdoors. I’ve also been into sports all challenge? from work and set my sights on scaling my life, but started with more mainstream I’ve been fortunate in my life to be the remaining four mountains, within 12 sports like football, ice-hockey, martial able to travel a lot for both business months, to complete my Seven Summits. arts and basketball. In Finland, we’re also and pleasure. My travels have taken me My first target was Antarctica’s highest used to the cold weather as normal winter to about 90 countries across all seven mountain, Vinson Massif (4897m), which temperatures often plummet to -30C, and for a while now, I’ve I climbed successfully in November 2011 but this is not the weather we normally been looking for unusual, off the beaten and immediately after in December, I go trekking and camping in. However, path type travel experiences. So when scaled Cerro Aconcagua (6962m), the I did my military service in the special a friend suggested the idea of climbing highest mountain in , to forces, so I spent a lot of time in the snow Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m), the highest which I had an unsuccessful expedition a and ice, which in hindsight, has been mountain in , during a holiday couple of years ago. Now I have climbed great preparation for the high altitude to Tanzania about ten years ago, I was five of the seven mountains and my next environments on mountains. immediately sold on the idea. target will be Mount Everest, the world’s Mount Kilimanjaro then became the highest mountain in Nepal, which I leave w How do you physically start to prepare first of my Seven Summits, although at this for in late March 2012. The expedition for mountaineering? point, I had little knowledge of the concept will take about two months and I hope Every mountain is different, so there’s no of Seven Summits. to complete my Seven Summits project one-size-fits-all program for preparing for However, the feeling of standing on the by climbing ’s highest mountains. For example, on a mountain summit and looking down into the African mountain, Denali in Alaska, in June. like Kilimanjaro, climbers normally use plains through clouds that were below I’ve always been competitive and local porters to carry equipment up the my feet, was so strong that I wanted to enjoyed setting myself challenges. mountain and only need to carry a small feel it again. This desire led to a few other Pursuing the Seven Summits started out daypack with something to eat, drink and expedition including Elbrus in Russia as a physical challenge, but I’ve come maybe a camera. On the less-commercial (5642m), the highest mountain in to realise that the project also tests you mountains, climbers carry all of their own as well as Carstensz Pyramid (4884m), psychologically and teaches you a lot about equipment which often means carrying the highest mountain on the Australian yourself, as well as life in general. 25kg backpacks and even pulling sleds continent – although technically part of with 20-40kg of additional equipment Indonesia. w Was it a complete lifestyle change for as I recently did in Antarctica. Further,

After returning from Carstensz Pyramid, you? some mountains are purely a hike whereas

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others require rock-climbing or scrambling components: running, weights, stairs and tyre I was pulling to increase the drag! To skills and the ability to use fixed-ropes as basketball. I do running and weights in the develop endurance and muscle stamina, well as climbing equipment like jumars. gym on the same days, 2-3 times a week, I rely on long training sessions and often In light of this, the starting point is a good and a normal session includes 60-120 mins train 3-4 hours per session. I try to avoid cardiovascular shape. In particular, good of running with 30-60 mins of weights, resting too long between exercises to keep endurance and stamina, which in practise mostly on the upper body. my heart rate up and train my body to means the ability to carry a backpack for I do stairs 2-3 times a week, which involves recover quickly. several hours at a time at a steady pace. carrying a 20-25kg backpack and climbing Most people prepare for mountain by the stairs of my 55 storey apartment ˜ What about diet? running a lot, which is a good start, but too building in Dubai Marina. I normally do at Diet is naturally also important. However, often their training is too short in duration least four full sets i.e. 220 floors at a time, I believe in a balanced diet rather than and not providing enough resistance. For training for 3-4 hours at a time. being extremely strict and depriving example, I run very little on flat ground, Much of the training is pretty lonely yourself of all the guilty pleasures. My but instead use inclined treadmill or rolling work, so I try to play basketball a couple wife is vegetarian, so at home we only eat hill type scenarios for my running. In of times a week to add a bit of fun into vegetarian food. In light of this, I often terms of duration, I run 60-120 minutes the training. Even my basketball sessions have a lunch outside, consisting of fish, at a time. However, in my view the best are long, normally about three hours, to chicken and/or pasta and eating a salad training, outside of carrying a backpack help me build endurance and stamina. I or similar vegetarian dish for dinner. For and climbing an actual mountain, is normally train six days a week and vary snacks, I try to eat fruits, but also eat white spending a lot of time climbing stairs with the number of training sessions depending bread, which my doctor is trying to get me a backpack. The stepping motion is much how my body feels. For example, if I feel to stop. closer to actual hiking on a mountain than my legs getting sore from the pounding Maintaining good hydration is vital both running on flat ground and the ability to motion of basketball and running, I’ll do in training as well as on the mountains. On step more than one step at a time, creates stairs instead. the mountains, we often have to drink 5-7 variety to the range of the motion and Also, in preparation for mountains litres per day, which is not always easy – hence trains muscles in a more effective where I need to pull a sled, such as Vinson especially when it’s purified with iodine! way than running. Massif on Antarctica, I added sessions on During training days, my hydration is a Further, for more technical mountains, the beach, pulling a car tyre, which is good mixture of still and sparkling water, as well which require use of ropes and/or rock- for simulating the sled. Occasionally my as my favourite sports drinks. climbing techniques, climbers need to wife also “helped” me by sitting on the have a combination of some power and stamina in their upper body. For example, on Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia, the most technical of the Seven Summits, the summit day is a rock climb. Climbers need to be able to pull themselves up the rock face with the use of ascenders / jumars often for several hours, requiring immense muscle stamina.

˜ Is mountaineering more endurance, strength or stamina? Mountaineering requires a mixture of cardio-vascular endurance, muscle stamina and strength, which varies dramatically based on the mountain. For example, the North Side of Eiger, a very famous climb in Switzerland, is short and so requires limited endurance, but much more strength and muscle stamina. On the other hand, Cerro Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America, requires less strength, but a lot of endurance. Generally, one can say that high-altitude mountaineering requires good endurance and as the technical difficulty of the mountain increases, so does the need to add strength and muscle stamina.

˜ What is your training schedule? How do you train to climb a mountain?

My training program consists of four main

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¹ Is training something that can be done in the gym? Training on actual mountains is naturally the best way to prepare one’s self, but my story is testament to the fact that even when there are no mountains around, with a bit of creativity, one can train him or herself for taking on some of the highest mountains in the world. However, the most difficult aspect of training in Dubai is preparing yourself for the altitude of the mountains. The summit of Mount Everest, at 8850m, has only 30% of the oxygen we breathe at sea- level, which means that a climber has to take 3.3 breaths to get the same amount of oxygen as we do at sea-level. This makes everything you do in altitude very difficult.

¹ What is the most challenging part of the challenge? Time – preparation takes a huge amount of time: from making sure you have the right gear to getting in top shape both physically and mentally. On top of this, you spend a lot of time on the mountains – normal expeditions are about three weeks, but Mount Everest will be two months. All this is time away from your family and friends,

not to mention work. In order to manage

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to take a sabbatical from work and focus

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¹ When things get tough, what is the motivating thought or saying that keeps you going? theirs – whatever the goal might be. find themselves extremely weak at high Before starting my military service, Mountaineering is a great sport and altitude to the extent that they need to be I applied for an Airborne Ranger teaches you a lot of things that apply to assisted by stronger climbers. Unit, which has an extremely tough life in general: setting goals, preparation, Also, knowing your own limits and selection process. I did very well on the making sacrifices, teamwork, patience, monitoring yourself is vital. For example, psychological tests but got frustrated dealing with success and failure etc. so I many people forget that the summit is on the physical tests and pulled out. I believe many people not only learn more only half way – you cannot stay there but immediately regretted the decision and about themselves during a climb but also need to have enough endurance, strength promised myself that I would never let learn valuable lessons about life in general. and stamina left also for the way down myself down again because of simply For people interested in mountaineering, – if not, you not only put yourself, but things getting tough. In hindsight, the I recommend starting with, for example, often other’s lives at risk. I’ve seen people memory of how I felt after pulling out Mount Kilimanjaro, which can be climbed suffer from e.g. Acute Mountain Sickness of the tests has made me a lot stronger in just one week, to see if they like it. (AMS), which can lead to a life threatening mentally and I went on to become a Mountaineering requires a lot of patience, condition if not dealt with quickly, purely decorated officer in a different special so it’s vital that people take one step at a for failing to recognise or ignoring the forces unit. However, I still remember how time – trying to learn new things high on early signs. I felt after I made the bad decision almost a mountain is not a good idea! Everything Finally, mountaineers require a bit of 15 years ago and the desire to never feel starts with having the right gear with you luck, especially when it comes to weather. the same way again still drives me through and not trying to make shortcuts to save It’s very common for bad weather to force tough times! money or make your backpack lighter. mountaineers to change their plans and Further, ensuring that you’re physically often the cause for serious incidents on ¹ Any recommendations for others? and mentally fit enough not only to look mountains is attributed to rapid changes in I believe that everyone has their own after yourself but to also help someone else weather, which have left climbers exposed symbolic mountain or mountains to if needed, is key. It’s easy to underestimate despite good preparation.

conquer and hope that my example the impact of high altitude and often º

inspires a few people to go after people who might be strong at sea-level, º www.sevensummits.ae

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