Veteran mountaineer El Mehdi Amezzane carries the national flag high to the summits of the world, both literally and figuratively, driven by his passion for this extreme sport and his love of country.
This banking executive has swapped his suit and tie to launch an assault on the seven summits of the world, thus engraving his name and that of Morocco in the register of great mountaineers who have taken up the challenge of facing majestic mountains and defying climatic conditions. extremes.
“My passion for climbing is driven by my love for this sport but also by the desire to hoist high the national flag, which I always carry during the climbs that I perform, on the most emblematic mountains of the planet”, in particular Everest, the roof of the world which culminates at 8,849 m, he confided after having climbed Mount Baker in the United States, a preparatory stage before heading for Mount Denali in Alaska, the one of the seven summits of the world and the highest point in North America with an altitude of 6,190 m.
Recalling his beginnings with this extreme sport, he said that the idea of climbing Everest came to him after climbing Toubkal, the highest point in Morocco and North Africa with 4,167 m.
“As a novice in the field, I found it easy to face the roof of the world, which is only twice the height of Toubkal, which I climbed without too much difficulty”. An idea quickly defeated by the reality on the ground, “where advancing a meter at high altitude sometimes requires extreme effort in the face of difficult weather conditions and especially in the face of oneself”.
From expedition to expedition, El Mehdi Amezzane has forged a good experience to claim to climb Everest, a mountain that inspires humility and respect.
Armed with a prize list that says a lot about his performance, this native of Salé, a lover of peaks, signs a prize list of 61 summits climbed, including 3 among the seven summits of the planet, the highest points of each continent, namely the Kilimanjaro in Africa (5,895), Elbrus in Europe (5,642) and Aconcagua in Latin America (6,962), climbs for which you have to prepare mentally and physically in addition to technical preparations and the examination of the factors of risks.
The professional mountaineer also underlined that beyond the pleasure provided by this sport, it forges the personality and character of its practitioners by giving them determination and perseverance to overcome obstacles, especially in everyday life.
Regarding the cost of this sport, El Mehdi Amezzane considered it inevitable to turn to sponsors to finance the high cost of expeditions, citing as an example the ascent of Everest which requires financing between 400,000 and 1,000,000 dirhams. , large sums which vary according to the services on site.
After Mount Denali, El Mehdi Amezzane will turn to other peaks in order to expand his honorable record and become the sixth Moroccan to reach the summit of Everest.