UAE resident embarks on mountaineering to encourage daughter, kids to get rid of gadget addiction – News

He is urging children in the country to take part in outdoor activities during the cooler months of the year, rather than being glued to their electronic devices

Vineet Bhandawat has been scaling the UAE mountains for five years and has conquered around 510 km of the UAE peaks.

Bhandawat, a UAE resident for 16 years, dedicated his achievement to the UAE’s 51st National Day.

The Indian national’s passion for mountain climbing started with a purpose – to encourage his daughter and other children to get rid of their addiction to electronic devices and practice more physical activity for a healthier lifestyle.

“Mountain climbing is my passion and my hobby. On weekends or whenever I have time, I go for a walk. My entire 510km trip is in the UAE mountains, including Wadi Shoka, the Stairway to Heaven in Ras Al Khaimah and the Hatta Mountains,” says Bhandawat, who works as a CFO at a healthcare company in Abu Dhabi.

Bhandawat scaled peaks in Fujairah, Dibba, Sharjah and Khorfakkan. He has also conducted expeditions in other countries including Sri Lanka, Jordan, Georgia, India, Turkey, Oman, Seychelles and Iceland.

In the first three weeks of December, Bhandawat scaled around 74 km of mountains, including 16 km on the Christmas Day weekend. “I have one more weekend, so my goal is to complete 100 km in this month alone. The support [of my family] was great It would not have been possible to achieve this feat without my family’s support.”

Encouraging daughters, other children

Bhandawat took a mountaineering course at school but was unable to pursue his passion properly.

After completing his Masters in Business Administration, he moved to the UAE and started following his passion here.

“I started my passion because of my daughter; I want her to do more physical activity. I started mountain climbing with smaller peaks so that she could also join me in the expeditions. Now my daughter and wife join too [me] once or twice a month [to go] mountain climbing I usually do about 20km when I do it on my own, but about 7-8km with family. We completed 7-8 km of mountain climbing with children and others on Sunday [inexperienced] mountain climbers.”

He suggested that the residents of the UAE, especially children, should participate in outdoor activities during the cooler climate, which lasts for about five months, rather than being glued to electronic devices.

Even during the pandemic, Bhandawat took his family to secluded places where they could sit and enjoy family time together.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic when everyone was sitting at home, my family and I went out to isolated areas and ate meals there.”

Bhandawat praised the UAE government for the facilities they provide to mountain climbers, as well as the inclusion of properly marked routes.

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