Uta Ibrahimi
Curious and open to new challenges. I have always been into sports, apart from making me feel good, they taught me discipline, commitment and pushing myself for results.
I am also in love with flowers, nature, smiles, music, dancing and positive people.
Highlights:
First person from Kosovo to Summit Mount Everest.
The only girl in the Balkans that climbed 6x8000 peaks in the world.
Lhotse South Face -reached 7900 meters.
SDG Champion -Promoting Environment and Gender Equality.
Hobbies:
All adventure sports. Besides mountain climbing and running, I enjoy Freerideskiing and ski touring, rock climbing, cycling, listening to music, mostly from the 80’s and watching South Park 😊
I also like to paint, and sometimes express myself on small vases, rocks, and lightbulbs at home.
I love tattoos and I can’t wait to find a reason to have a new one. All my tattoos have a story and meaning on it, like the symbols of old Albanian tribes in which women had tattoos, or the specific flowers of our mountains here in the Balkans.
Favorite Place:
I have a lot of favorite places I long to be there, and this depends on my feelings.
My home in Kosovo is my sanctuary, where I can recharge myself, train and reconnect to my family and friends. Very near to the Sharr Mountains, where I can go for a daily trail run, or a hike, climb, or ski tour, and where I can be near to the sun and clouds, a place with endless views.
Anywhere in the Himalayas, especially highs on the top, where I can feel the thin air. A mountain which I grew as a climber and empowered me.
Greatest Mountain Moment:
In 2017 I climbed Mount Everest. That was one of my proudest moments, standing on the top of the world, making my country and people proud. This moment also opened my perspective for the mountains and expeditions. I managed to prove to myself, but also to beat the prejudice among some people of my country, that a woman from small Kosovo can manage to reach the highest mountain in the world.
Everest for sure was my greatest mountain moment, but I must say that taking part in the Lhotse South face expedition was my most challenging experience. There I felt the power of mountains, and how precious life is. It was a mind opening moment, preparing me for the big challenges of life.
Projects:
My ongoing project is to climb the 14 of the highest peaks in the world. So far,I have climbed 6, making me the first woman from the Balkans that achieved this. For every year I try to climb two of the 8000’s. Every year I spend a few weeks on Ice climbing in the winter, and summer rock climbing.
Every month I do a trail running competition and I try to do at least 100KM run per month.I have just finished a project with an environmental movie, called ‘Run for Sharr’ where me and several other athletes run to show the beauty of the biggest mountain range in Kosovo,and it’s need for immediate protection from pollution and reconstruction.
Favorite Book:
I like to read books about climbers, and I especially like to read about girls in the mountains, Wanda Rutkiewicz or Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, my two inspirational climbers on the Himalayas.I also like poetry, Pablo Neruda’s poems in whichI find lots of inspiration to live freely and enjoy every daysimple things, or ‘Persepolis’ from Mariana Satrapi.
Biggest Dream:
To keep doing what I am doing -live an adventure in any form. And to see a cleaner, healthier, happier and better planet.
Favorite Blackyak Products
