Sara Al Awadhi - Bouldering in the Middle East: Using climbing to discover your country and culture, and empowering other Arab and Muslim women to do the same.

Tough Girl Podcast

Born and raised in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sara is a passionate climber who spends her weekends and holidays exploring the mountains of her homeland mapping out new boulder fields and establishing first ascents. With the help of her husband, Sara has assisted in establishing almost 100 new boulder problems in the UAE and has outlined 200 more boulders ready for developing. Sara is currently working with her husband on creating a UAE bouldering guidebook.

In an era when outdoor sports are diversifying and becoming more inclusive, Sara wants to provide inspiration for those, like herself, who have had little representation in the past, and to highlight to Arab women that they need to play an active role in how their country's outdoor sports scene develops.

When she is not practicing law or exploring the mountains, Sara spends her time empowering young Arab women to pursue a career in law, and has recently been invited to speak on TEDx about this topic further.

Show notes

• Who is Sara
• How the past 2 years have changed her life
• What life was like growing up in Dubai
• The emphasis on fitness specifically horse riding
• What happens when you get older
• Why outdoor sport aren’t encouraged
• Why it all changed for her 4 years ago
• Studying Law in the UK
• The bad weather in the UK!
• Loving the discovery of climbs
• Wanting to create a bouldering guide book for the UAE
• Why she decided to join the climbing club
• What she found most challenging at the start
• Dealing with her fear of flights
• After graduating and moving back to Dubai and trying to pursue climbing again
• The challenges of climbing
• Being a role model for other women
• Why aren’t there more Arab women climbing ?
• How do women get into the climbing scene in Dubai
• The mountain project
• The best spots to climb in the UAE
• Overcoming the impossible
• Her role models in climbing
• What’s next for Sara
• Night climbing in Dubai
• Building her website at the moment
• Final words of advice
• Encourage other women especially in the climbing space