In April, 27 years old Elham Al Qasimi will set off on a three week expedition. The goal is to reach the North Pole. Cross-skiing 100 nautical miles over the Arctic, carrying everything she needs for the trip by herself. There will be no re-supplies and no air drops.

“If this attempt inspires even just a few of the UAE youth to pursue their own goals, physical or otherwise, it will make the achievement worthwhile”, she told Grazia. “We are about a lot more than the tall buildings we have built, and we can break barriers outside in other areas too. I hope my journey shows other women that we can push our limits in more ways than we imagine.”

Elham will be the first Arab women, and the first UAE national to unassisted and unsupported reach the North Pole.

“I want to witness a part of nature that very few have before me” she said.

The Emirati woman is well prepared. She has been undergoing rigorous fitness training to prepare for her sub-zero adventure.

“When I get back to Dubai, I think I will forever be grateful for bathrooms and showers. But on the trek, instead of fighting nature, or attempting to rise above it, I hope to simply surrender to it. No one, no matter how physically strong, can succeed on such a journey with physical strength alone, mental strength will be the key.”

She will start her trek from a Russian polar ice station at 80 degrees latitude and will be accompanied by two more adventurers.

Follow Elham Al Qasimi on www.elhamalqasimi.com.