Yousef Al Refaie: Youngest to Climb the Seven Volcanic Summits

Biography

Six years, seven volcanoes

Guinness World Records lists the sequence with dates. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on 30 December 2015. Elbrus in Russia on 18 July 2017. Mount Giluwe in Papua New Guinea on 21 July 2018. Pico de Orizaba in Mexico on 6 January 2019, and Damavand in Iran on 11 August the same year. Ojos del Salado, on the Argentina-Chile border, on 15 January 2020. Then Mount Sidley, in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, on 22 December 2021.

The Seven Volcanic Summits is the volcanic counterpart to the better-known Seven Summits: the highest volcano on each continent. Al Refaie was the 24th person to complete the circuit, at 24 years old — a coincidence Guinness notes in its write-up.

The remark on Kilimanjaro

The origin, as he told Guinness, was an insult. On a tourist trip up Kilimanjaro, someone suggested that his Middle Eastern background made the feat close to impossible because of the difference in climate. He made that the driver of the whole project.

There is a second, older thread. "When I first asked my mom for the Guinness World Records Book as a kid, she told me she would only buy it if I had something amazing to make my way into it," he said. He also cited the Kuwaiti record holder Mohammed Burbayea, who holds the record for most IJSBA World Championship wins, as an inspiration.

What Antarctica cost

The final climb was the expensive one. Guinness records Al Refaie's own figures: Damavand cost around $1,000, most of the others between $2,000 and $10,000, and Mount Sidley roughly $60,000 for an eight-person team, in temperatures he put at about minus 35 degrees Celsius.

The logistics he describes are as much about supply as about climbing. "We carried 27 meals each for this trip," he said. "Food alone was about 10kg in total." On the team, his summary was flat: "Planning is a key. Everyone was assigned a mission. You need very disciplined people around you."

Where the record stands

Guinness notes that two more mountaineers completed the circuit in January 2022, bringing the global total to 26, and that Al Refaie remained the youngest. The youngest-ever framing is what makes the record durable: later completions do not displace it unless someone finishes younger than 24 years and 119 days.

Before the volcanic project, Al Refaie had attempted the highest points of the Arabian Peninsula countries but could not reach Yemen. He is described as having been keen on fitness throughout his life. Guinness published his record in a news feature dated 6 May 2022.

What is documented — and what is not

The Guinness feature is detailed on the climbs, the dates, the costs and his motivation, and it quotes him at length. It gives his birth year as 1997 and an exact age at completion, but not a full date of birth, and it does not name a school, an employer or a profession.

Nor does it follow the story forward. No source used here reports what Al Refaie climbed after Mount Sidley, whether he has attempted the Seven Summits proper, or whether he now guides, speaks or sponsors other climbers. His closing line in the feature is the last documented word: "My message to those who try and fail, get inspired by people who did it before and never give up."

Achievement Timeline

Yousef Al Refaie — every milestone on this page, placed by age.

30 Dec 2015

Climbs Kilimanjaro, Tanzania — the firClimbs Kilimanjaro, Tanzania — the first of the seven

18 Jul 2017

Elbrus, RussiaElbrus, Russia

21 Jul 2018

Mount Giluwe, Papua New GuineaMount Giluwe, Papua New Guinea

2019

Pico de Orizaba, Mexico (6 January) anPico de Orizaba, Mexico (6 January) and Damavand, Iran (11 August)

15 Jan 2020

Ojos del Salado, Argentina/ChileOjos del Salado, Argentina/Chile

22 Dec 2021

Mount Sidley, Antarctica, at 24 years Mount Sidley, Antarctica, at 24 years 119 days — completing the Seven Volcanic Summits

What is documented — and what is not

✓ Documented

Youngest person to climb the Seven Volcanic Summits, at 24 years 119 days (Guinness World Records)
Final summit Mount Sidley, Antarctica, 22 December 2021; 24th person overall to complete the set
Full dated sequence of all seven climbs from Kilimanjaro in December 2015

? Unverified, disputed or wrong

No full date of birth published, only the year 1997
No profession, employer or education named in the source
No reporting located on his activity after December 2021

Questions people ask about Yousef Al Refaie

How old was Yousef Al Refaie when he set the record?

24 years and 119 days, on 22 December 2021. Guinness gives his birth year as 1997 but not a full date of birth.

What are the Seven Volcanic Summits?

The highest volcano on each continent. Al Refaie's seven were Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Giluwe, Pico de Orizaba, Damavand, Ojos del Salado and Mount Sidley.

What made him start climbing?

He told Guinness that a comment on a Kilimanjaro tourist trip, suggesting his Middle Eastern background made the feat nearly impossible, became his main motivation.

How much did it cost?

By his own figures: about $1,000 for Damavand, $2,000 to $10,000 for most of the others, and roughly $60,000 for Mount Sidley with an eight-person team.

Is he the first Arab to do it?

Guinness records him as the youngest and as the 24th person overall. The source used here does not describe him as the first from the region, so that claim is not made on this page.

Is Yousef Al Refaie on Wikipedia?

No Wikipedia article on him was found. This entry rests on the Guinness World Records feature of May 2022.

Where is Yousef Al Refaie now?

No source used here reports on his climbing or work after the Mount Sidley summit.

Does the record still stand?

Guinness noted in 2022 that two further climbers completed the circuit but that Al Refaie remained the youngest. Later challenges are not covered in the sources used here.