SHARJAH, 17th August, 2026 (WAM) -- Sharjah Capability Development – Tatweer, part of the Rubu’ Qarn Foundation for Creating Future Leaders and Innovators, has launched a new edition of its Towards the Peaks programme.
This year’s programme focuses on climbing and mountain adventures, offering participants a progressive training pathway that combines technical skills development, field-based practice and challenges in natural environments across the UAE.
The new edition builds on the journey of Towards the Peaks, in which participants in the previous edition took on the challenge of climbing Mount Elbrus in Russia. This year, the programme shifts to a new type of challenge, focusing on developing climbing skills, rope and equipment handling, and technical descent in valleys, before progressing to advanced levels of climbing leadership.
Running from 5th September to 14th November 2026, the programme comprises nine training sessions. Participants will progress from learning about equipment, safety principles and basic climbing techniques to developing technical skills in ascent and descent, and then apply these skills in outdoor environments and natural terrain.
Khalid Ibrahim Al Nakhi, Director of Tatweer, said that Towards the Peaks is continuing its journey this year with a renewed vision to present participants with distinctive challenges that offer genuine opportunities to discover their capabilities and develop their skills. He noted that reaching the summit of Mount Elbrus in Russia in the previous edition marked an important milestone in the programme’s journey, while the current edition presents a new challenge within the UAE, with a greater emphasis on climbing and on technical and field-based skills.
He added that the programme’s objective goes beyond reaching a geographical summit, focusing instead on building participants’ capabilities, strengthening their self-confidence, and enhancing their decision-making and their ability to respond to challenges. Each stage of the programme, he said, has been designed to take participants to a new level of skill and preparedness.
The new edition of Towards the Peaks is structured around four successive training stages. It begins with an orientation and familiarisation stage focused on establishing a strong foundation in handling equipment and ropes, and on understanding safety requirements. This is followed by a technical training stage aimed at developing climbing, ascent and descent skills through practical application.
In the third stage, participants progress to valley descents, applying the skills they have acquired in natural environments and real-world field challenges. The fourth stage focuses on climbing leadership and is the most advanced level of the programme for qualified participants.
The pathway allows participants to progress according to their abilities and individual development. They may complete only the first stage or continue through the programme, stage by stage, with each stage required before advancing to the next.
The outcomes of Towards the Peaks extend beyond learning to climb and use ropes and equipment. The programme also aims to develop a range of personal and practical capabilities, including focus, self-confidence, decision-making, responsibility, teamwork, and the ability to respond effectively to diverse situations and environments.
The programme forms part of Sharjah Capability Development’s efforts to provide developmental experiences that go beyond traditional training methods. It places young people in real-world challenges that allow them to test their capabilities, acquire new skills and turn learning into practical experience, thereby strengthening their readiness to take on more advanced challenges in the future.