When a young woman from Jeddah stood on the summit of Mount Everest in 2013, she didn’t just plant a flag for herself. She planted a new idea of what a Saudi woman could be. That woman was Raha Moharrak, the first Saudi woman and youngest Arab to summit Everest, and later the first Saudi woman to complete the Seven Summits.
Today, Raha is more than a climber. She is a storyteller, a creative professional, a brand partner, and a living example of how sport, media, and personal purpose can come together in the spirit of Vision 2030.
Background & Early Journey
Raha’s story doesn’t begin in a sports academy, but in Jeddah, in a family that never imagined their daughter on the roof of the world. The youngest of three, she grew up between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, later studying visual communication and graphic design at the American University of Sharjah. Living with severe dyslexia, traditional academic routes were tough, so she leaned into her strengths: creativity, visuals, and storytelling.
That path led her into advertising and design in Dubai, working as an art director and graphic designer. At that stage, she wasn’t an athlete at all. Mountaineering entered her life much later through a single, brave decision to say “yes” to something that felt impossible.
That “yes” changed everything.
Discovering the Mountains
Raha’s first major climb was Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
She went as a challenge to herself, not as a record-chaser. But on that mountain, she discovered more than a new hobby. She discovered a new identity. Kilimanjaro led to more climbs. She tackled peaks like Aconcagua in South America and other high-altitude mountains around the world. Every expedition required saving, negotiating time off work, intense physical preparation, and convincing her family that this was more than a phase.
Here lies an important point for young Saudis: Raha did not drop everything to “become an adventurer.” She built her passion around her professional life. She showed that you can hold a serious job, grow in a creative industry, and still pursue an extreme sporting path in parallel. This hybrid identity, designer by trade, mountaineer by passion, would become the foundation of her future influence.
Everest 2013: A Saudi Woman at the Top of the World
In 2013, Raha joined the “Arabs with Altitude” expedition to Mount Everest. The team included climbers from across the region and was linked to a charitable mission to support education projects in Nepal. On 18 May 2013, Raha reached the summit of Mount Everest at 8,848 meters above sea level. She became the first Saudi woman and youngest Arab to stand at the top of the world.
For Saudi Arabia, this was more than a headline. Her success sent a clear message: Saudi women are capable of pushing physical, cultural, and psychological boundaries, with respect for their families, values, and identity.
The Everest expedition also had a philanthropic dimension. The team partnered with charities to support education in Nepal, tying adventure to impact. This blend of personal challenge and social contribution reflects exactly the kind of role Vision 2030 encourages: individuals using their talents to inspire and uplift others.
Seven Summits: Completing a Global Challenge
Everest was not the end. It was the beginning. Over the following years, Raha continued climbing around the world. By 2017, she had completed the Seven Summits, the highest peak on each continent, becoming the first Saudi woman to do so.
That list includes mountains like:
- Kilimanjaro in Africa
- Aconcagua in South America
- Elbrus in Europe
- Denali or equivalent high North American peaks
- Mount Vinson in Antarctica
- Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania
- And, of course, Everest in Asia
Each mountain meant months of training, securing funding, planning logistics, and dealing with risk. There was no guaranteed outcome. Weather, health, and conditions could change everything in a few hours. But achieving the Seven Summits gave Raha something powerful: Not just a series of records, but a story arc. A journey from Jeddah classrooms to the highest points on Earth, a narrative that brands, young audiences, and global platforms understood instantly.
Beyond the Peaks: From Climber to Brand, Speaker, and Mentor
Raha’s real impact began after the summits. Because of her background in visual communication, she understood how to tell her story. She used images, talks, interviews, and partnerships to transform her personal achievements into a sustainable platform. Today she is:
- A keynote speaker, addressing companies, conferences, and youth events on courage, failure, resilience, and ambition.
- A brand ambassador and collaborator, partnering with global and regional brands.
- A content creator and presenter, bridging sport, lifestyle, and identity.
Her partnerships include names like Tag Heuer, Chevrolet Middle East, Visa, Adidas TERREX, Burberry, and regional startups such as Basma. In each collaboration, she’s not just a face in a campaign. She is a story: the woman who climbed her “impossible” mountain and came back to tell others that they can climb theirs. This is where a sports journey becomes an economic story.
Raha’s climbs created:
- Speaking income through events and corporate engagements.
- Brand value through ambassador roles and campaigns.
- Media presence through features, interviews, and documentaries.
She didn’t create a sports-tech company or open a gym, but she built a personal “sports brand” ecosystem around herself. That’s entrepreneurship in a modern form: turning a unique life experience into a platform that generates value, employment, and inspiration.
Leadership, Mindset, and What Young Saudis Can Learn
Raha often speaks about the importance of stepping out of comfort zones. But her story is not about reckless risk. It is about calculated courage. From her journey, young Saudi readers, especially women, can take several lessons:
1. Your Passion Doesn’t Have to Be “Normal”
A Saudi woman obsessed with 8,000-meter peaks is not a typical profile. But Vision 2030 is built on expanding what is “normal” for Saudis. More sports, more culture, more entrepreneurship, more global presence. Raha’s path shows that passions at the edges can still be legitimate careers and brands.
2. You Can Build Around Your Day Job
She did not wait for the perfect funding, title, or role. She worked as a graphic designer and art director, saved money, trained, and climbed during the windows she created. For many young professionals, this is a realistic model: build your dream in parallel until it becomes strong enough to stand on its own.
3. Failure and Fear Are Part of the Climb
Mountaineering is not a straight line to the top. Expeditions get delayed. Weather turns. Bodies fail. The mountains teach humility. Raha’s message is that fear is natural, and failure is not shameful. The real problem is never trying.
4. Tell Your Story - or Others Will Tell It for You
Her design and communication skills helped her shape her narrative. In a world of social media and global platforms, being able to tell your story clearly is a competitive advantage. For Saudi athletes and founders, this is essential: your story is not “showing off.” It’s how you attract partners, opportunities, and impact.
Vision 2030 Impact: A Symbol for a New Saudi Arabia
Raha’s journey aligns strongly with the spirit of Saudi Vision 2030:
- Women’s Empowerment: She became a recognizable symbol of what Saudi women can achieve in sport, adventure, and public life.
- Sports & Wellbeing: Her story supports the national objective to increase sports participation and build a more active society.
- Creative & Sports Economy: Through campaigns, speaking, and brand work, she participates in the growing sports and creative sectors, both key pillars of economic diversification.
- Youth Inspiration: Perhaps most importantly, she shows young Saudis that they can think globally, aim high, and still remain deeply rooted in their identity.
Recently, her partnership with Adidas TERREX to return to Everest with young women from the region shows a shift from “I climbed” to “we rise together.” It’s no longer about her reaching the summit. It’s about using her experience to open doors for the next generation.
A Call to the Next Generation
“It doesn't have to be a mountain you have to be climbing… I really hope they can step out of their comfort zone and just dream.”
As Saudi Arabia writes its next chapter under Vision 2030, Raha Moharrak stands as proof that one person’s “impossible” can shift a nation’s imagination. She turned a private passion for remote summits into a visible platform for women, for adventure, and for a new image of Saudi talent at home and abroad. In many ways, she is the founder of her own personal brand "Raha Moharrak", a sports, media, and storytelling business built on courage, narrative, and national relevance, and her journey is an open invitation for the next generation of climbers, creators, and founders to build their own.
For more Saudi sports stories, follow Riyada Hub for real progress, sharp insights, and weekly inspiration.
