Trip Leader
Manal Rostom
Manal is Egypt’s most prominent female mountaineer and marathoner. On May 16, 2022, she made history by becoming the first Egyptian Woman to climb Mt. Everest (hence, the current EBC-trek is to commemorate and celebrate this success). Besides Everest, Manal has summited two more of the 7 Summits – Kilimanjaro and Elbrus – along with many other mountains, including Mt Blanc in 2018 (which, she was the first Egyptian woman to summit). She has also run numerous marathons, being the first Egyptian to have run 5 out of the 6 major marathons plus the Great Wall of China Marathon in 2016. Finally, she is famous for being Nike’s first Hijabi athlete and Ambassador. Manal decided to use her reputation and recognition to empower women who choose to wear hijab, shatter stereotypes, and support minorities and underrepresented communities worldwide. As a result, she founded the Surviving Hijab Facebook Group: a one-million, women-only, closed group, and she was recognized in 2019 by Facebook for the successful impact this group is making to the lives of millions of people. Under the title of “Surviving Hijab”, Manal has already led two expeditions in collaboration with Rahhalah: one on Kilimanjaro, the second on EBC, to raise awareness about tolerance, inclusivity, and equality.