BURSTMoroccan mountaineer Nawal Sfendla is hoping to climb Everest in 2026, and has launched a fundraising campaign to support her efforts. She describes her objective as the “natural next step” as a Himalayan climber.
Sfendla first visited Everest in 2013 when she reached base camp. Nearly a decade later, in 2022, she became the first Moroccan woman to reach the summit of Manaslu (8,163 m), the eighth-highest mountain in the world and one of the Himalayan 8000ers. Before that, she climbed Morocco’s nine peaks above 4,000 meters in only five days.
After climbing Manaslu, she said, “I aimed for the true summit to train on glaciers for Everest, which is part of the Seven Summits Challenge. Unfortunately, the weather was one of the worst in Manaslu’s history… I’m someone who doesn’t give up. Throughout my upbringing, my family, and my parents have always taught me to fight, to go all the way, to always turn the negative into positive.”
Her climbs have taken her from the Atlas Mountains to the Dolomites, the Mont Blanc massif, and even to the Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania. “I deeply believe that youth represent the future,” she said. “They carry the boldness, openness, and ability to make our country shine in new ways.”
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