Who Am I?

Tima Deryan is the first Lebanese woman and youngest Arab to summit Mount Everest at just 26 years old! Born in Kuwait in 1993, she was raised across the Middle East – from Lebanon to Dubai – Tima has always been drawn to adventure. She started with extreme sports like bungee jumping at 16, then scuba diving and skydiving. Her biggest dream began when she was 14: to climb Mount Everest. On May 22, 2019, that dream became reality when she stood on top of the world’s highest peak. Since then, she has become the first Lebanese woman to ski to the South Pole and has climbed all seven of the world’s highest summits, plus over 25 other mountains worldwide!

What Am I Known For?

Tima embodies incredible perseverance and courage in pursuing her mountaineering dreams while working to fund her expeditions. Her journey shows remarkable resilience – she’s had to convince her family to accept her solo travels to remote mountains, and she faces people who think her goals are impossible. Yet she responds with action rather than words, achieving record after record to prove them wrong.

Her optimism shines through everything she does. She describes mountaineering as her “heaven on earth” where she recharges her positive energy. Even when altitude sickness hits on mountains, she uses laughter to push through the challenges. Her integrity shows in how she stays true to her values – founding Feministiya, a sustainable fashion brand that advocates for women’s rights, and writing a children’s book called Curly Adventures to help kids realise they are limitless.

Perhaps most inspiring is her empathy and leadership. Tima climbs not just for herself, but to show other Arab women that “they are beautiful, they are strong and they can conquer the world.” As a certified coach through her company Mountain Gipsy, she helps people develop an ‘invincible mindset’ to achieve their biggest goals. She is also an environmental activist, campaigning on climate change and waste recycling. Her motto, “mind over matter” – which she has tattooed on her hand – guides both her climbs and her mission to give back to the world what the mountains gave her.

Image courtesy of @mountaingipsy via Instagram