He urged children in the country to spend time outside during the cooler months of the year rather than being glued to electronic devices
For five years, Vineet Bhandawat has been climbing the mountains of the UAE, conquering some 510 kilometers of UAE peaks.
Bhandawat, who has lived in the UAE for 16 years, dedicated his achievement to the UAE’s 51st National Day.
The Indian national’s passion for mountaineering started with a purpose – to encourage his daughter and other children to wean themselves off electronics and get more physically active for a healthier lifestyle.
“Mountain climbing is my passion and hobby. On weekends or whenever I have time, I go hiking. My entire 510km journey was in the mountains of the UAE, including Wadi Shoka, Ras Al Khaimah’s Stairway to Heaven and the Hatta Mountains,” said Bhandawat, who works as chief financial officer at a healthcare company in Abu Dhabi.
Bhandawat has climbed the peaks of Fujairah, Dibba, Sharjah and Khorfakkan. He has also conducted expeditions in other countries, including Sri Lanka, Jordan, Georgia, India, Turkey, Oman, Seychelles and Iceland.
In the first three weeks of December, Bhandawat climbed 74km of the mountain, including 16km over Christmas weekend. “I have a weekend left, so my goal is to do 100km this month alone. Support [of my family] Always great. I could not have achieved this feat without the support of my family. “
encourage daughter and other children
Bhandawat took mountaineering courses at school but couldn’t properly pursue his passion.
After completing his MBA, he moved to the UAE and started pursuing his passion here.
“I started my passion because of my daughter; I wanted her to be more physically active. I started climbing on smaller peaks so she could explore with me too. Now, my daughter and wife also joined [me] once or twice a month [to go] mountaineering. I usually do around 20km when I do it by myself, but about 7-8km when I do it with my family.On Sunday, we completed a 7-8 km mountaineering with our children [inexperienced] hiker. “
He suggested that UAE residents, especially children, should engage in outdoor activities during the cool climate period that lasts around five months, rather than indulging in electronic gadgets.
Even during the pandemic, Bhandawat takes his family to remote places where they can sit together and enjoy family time.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone is sitting at home and my family and I are going out to remote areas to eat.”
Bhandawat praised the UAE government for the facilities provided to climbers, as well as the trails being properly marked.
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