Exploring the Driest Place On Earth. An Interview with Yousef Al-Refaie

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by Alexandra Mansilla

Exploring the Driest Place On Earth. An Interview with Yousef Al-Refaie

3 Sept 2024

Yousef Al-Refai, a Kuwaiti mountaineer and explorer, who ventures into some of the most extreme weather conditions in the world. Also, in 2022, he made history by becoming the youngest person to conquer the Seven Volcanic Summits, reaching the highest volcanoes on each continent at just 24 years and 119 days old. He also became the 24th person worldwide to complete the "Seven Volcanic Summits" challenge and attempted a Guinness World Record by reaching the highest point in each GCC country within six days.

Earlier this year, in April-May, Yousef embarked on an expedition across Chile's Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth. During this journey, he encountered a settlement called Quillagua, where people manage to live despite the harsh conditions. Explore his story to learn more about how they live there, where Yousef's adventures will take him next, and the challenges he has faced along the way (there are a lot of).

— Yousef, hello! Let’s go back to the beginning of your adventures. Before you started travelling, you studied political science and public administration. How did you make the transition from that to exploring deserts and travelling the world?

— I always think of myself as an adventurer or explorer at heart. From a young age, I was curious about nearly everything. My parents would get me toys, and I’d immediately take them apart to see how they worked, though I couldn’t always put them back together. We had a big library at home, with National Geographic magazines and old travel books. Even though I didn’t understand English well, I was captivated by the images of high mountains and dinosaur fossils. That curiosity stayed with me as I grew older.

After high school, I went to law school because it seemed prestigious, but I didn’t like it and eventually dropped out. During that time, I had a break between semesters, so I decided to pursue something different. One night, I stumbled across an Instagram post about climbing Africa's highest mountain. I was so intrigued that I called that company at 2 am. They were surprised by my enthusiasm, especially since I had no prior experience, but I convinced them I was serious.

That first experience was tough — I hated it at the time. Imagine someone pampered in Kuwait suddenly thrown into a small tent in the wilderness. It was difficult, but it sparked something in me.

— So, you weren’t fully prepared for that first experience, right?

— Exactly. I have been athletic most of my life, partly because I have a minor back condition called mild lumbar scoliosis, which means my spine isn’t completely straight. I was diagnosed at a young age, and my doctor advised me to build up my muscles to support my frame, especially since I am tall. That led me to stay active, running and training regularly, but my efforts weren’t really focused on a specific goal.

When I started exploring and going on adventures, it gave me training purposes. Instead of just working out to look better, I now had a clear goal, like reaching a summit. After each expedition, I felt a sense of accomplishment, which drove me to find the next challenge.

For example, when I first climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, I hated it and didn’t think I’d ever do something like that again. But I caught the adventure bug. After Kilimanjaro, I travelled to the U.S., visited friends in San Diego, and asked them to join me in exploring the northern mountains near the Canadian border. These smaller steps eventually led me to complete the Volcanic Seven Summits over six years. It was a gradual, steady journey to where I am today.

— Recently, you completed an expedition across the Atacama Desert, Chile, the driest place on Earth. Why did you decide to do it?

— The idea for the challenge actually came to me after I completed the Volcanic Seven Summits. I felt a bit lost and didn’t want to pursue the usual goals like climbing Everest, which didn’t feel meaningful to me since it has been done so many times. I wanted something extraordinary and unique. One day, I came across a post showing three kids carrying large turtle shells on their backs, with a caption about Mawsynram, the wettest place on Earth. That sparked my curiosity, and I decided I had to visit it.

However, just visiting wasn’t enough for me — I wanted a purpose. So, I called my friend, a director and cinematographer, and suggested we document the people living there, the Khasi tribe, about whom there wasn’t much information available. He agreed, and that is how the idea for my documentary series, "Earth Extremes," was born. The series focuses on the world’s most extreme inhabited places. So far, I have covered the wettest, driest, and hottest places, and I plan to document the coldest place this December.

What is interesting is that these extreme environments show the real impacts of climate change. For instance, in these places, locals have noticed significant changes over the years — like less rain or warmer winters — because of global warming. Through my documentaries, I aim to highlight these changes in a way that is both educational and engaging, so we can learn from the people who live in these challenging conditions. Coming from Kuwait, one of the hottest countries in the world, I realise how fortunate we are to have modern comforts like air conditioning, which make our lives easier compared to those living in extreme environments where life is incredibly tough, and often, their struggles go unnoticed.

— You were wondering how people live in Quillagua. So tell us: How do people live there?

— When we were heading towards Quillagua, we passed through several ghost towns in the Atacama Desert. These areas were once rich in minerals, but as those resources depleted, the towns were abandoned. As we moved further north, we encountered small settlements, some of which were unwelcoming and even had cult-like characteristics.

Quillagua, however, was already known and inhabited by around 150 people. We discovered that it was even drier than previously recorded, receiving only about 0.02 millimetres of rain per year. The town should have had water due to the nearby Loa River, but mining activities had dried it up and contaminated it. Now, the miners are obligated to provide water tanks to the residents daily. Inside the village, conditions appear stable thanks to this water supply, but the surrounding area, which used to be lush due to the river, is now completely dry.

— While travelling, you visited places where not many people would choose to go, and I imagine you found yourself in some extremely challenging situations. Would you like to share any of those experiences?

— You know, things rarely go smoothly with projects like this. There are always challenges — language barriers, lack of information, and logistics. When you are doing something that hasn't been done before, the research and logistics are incredibly tough. The real difficulties often come in the mountains, where accidents can happen.

For example, I climbed Mount Kenya during COVID-19 in 2021. I trained hard for it, but during the climb, I encountered something I'll never forget. My guide and I reached the base of a cliff, and as he prepared the ropes, I suddenly heard a scream. I ran over to find another climber who had fallen. His spine was broken, and his helmet shattered. It was the first time I'd seen a dead body like that, and I didn’t know what to do. There was no signal, no one to talk to. I had to go back and inform the people at the hut about what happened.

It was a tough experience. I tried to cope with it by writing down what I felt. It was hard to reconcile that I was there for the challenge and personal glory while this man died just doing his job. Later, my guide encouraged me to continue the climb, reminding me that accidents happen, but I had come all this way for a reason.

Unfortunately, the man’s death was caused by a simple mistake. He was guiding a Swiss couple, and while they were descending, their rope got stuck. He wasn’t clipped in when he tried to free it, and he fell. The couple saw the body but didn’t report it immediately. They even told the helicopter rescue team that their guide was lost, not dead. It was a harsh reminder of how brutal and competitive the environment can be at high altitudes.

These experiences have made me reconsider what I want from climbing. I still love it, but I am no longer interested in famous mountains, where the competition isn’t healthy. It is more about ego than anything else, and that is not what I am looking for anymore.

— It all can end up badly.

— Yes, and for what? I still remember the first time my father told me, "You should go, enjoy, and climb, but remember that nothing is worth losing even a nail over. At the end of the day, this is just some sort of fun — it’s not life and death." His support means a lot, reminding me that it is not worth dying just to be the fastest or the strongest. There will always be someone younger and stronger. This perspective was reinforced when I fell into a crevasse but was luckily saved by my teammates. Every mountain has its stories, but this one was truly life-changing.

— Which mountain was it? And how did it happen?

— It was a chilly day on Mount Baker in Washington State, and I was chatting with my guide, Caleb, about the mountain's treacherous crevasses. We laughed as I joked about how I hadn’t seen any yet. Just moments later, the ground beneath me gave way, and I fell into a snow-covered crevasse.

I plunged several meters down, but thankfully, we were all roped together, which stopped my fall. Caleb quickly took charge, leading the rescue to pull me back to safety. When I finally emerged, shaken but alive, he looked at me with a mix of humour and wisdom and said, “You asked for it. You knew it the hard way.”

— Have you ever thought to stop?

— No, I have never thought about stopping. I think if I did, it would be really depressing, especially after getting used to the rush and excitement of planning and executing these adventures. During COVID, when that rush was taken away, I felt how much it affected me. I work full-time in real estate and construction, so my time off is limited. Planning these projects and bringing people together for them is where I find joy. I don’t even travel for tourism anymore — just short trips, like one or two days in Dubai or Bahrain.

— So, you are planning to go to the coldest place in December. Could you tell us more about that?

— It is Siberia, actually. The oldest inhabited place I am planning to visit is Oymyakon. Another place I am visiting is Verkhoyansk, which is known for having the highest temperature deviation between summer and winter. In the summer, it can reach 36°C, and in the winter, it drops to around -63°C or -65°C. I am interested in documenting the "Road of Bones" and the lives of the people who live in these extreme conditions, capturing all the details of their everyday existence.

— How do you prepare for it?

— I am planning to buy warm clothes directly from Russia because it is best to get them from people who live in those extreme conditions. While I already have a lot of warm gear from my mountaineering background, the rest of the team will need to figure out their supplies. My main concern isn't just the cold but also documenting the journey. The extreme cold can cause batteries to perform poorly, so there is a lot to consider before we head out.

by Alexandra Mansilla