about us
Slowly IS Surely.
MounTurtle Academy was built on a simple belief: the mountain journey begins long before you reach the mountain.
We help people get mountain and adventure ready through physical preparation, mental resilience, mountain knowledge, nutrition and recovery, equipment preparation, and real outdoor experiences.
Whether you are preparing for your first hike, a high-altitude expedition, or simply want to become stronger and more confident outdoors, MounTurtle gives you the tools, knowledge and support to prepare properly and progress at your own pace.
We are not here simply to sell you an expedition.
We are here to help you become ready for one.
A word from joyce
“I never thought climbing mountains would be this life-changing, and it couldn’t have been this way without the professional support I received during my preparation.
At the beginning of my journey, I was blessed with my coach, Georges, who happens to be my brother, and my initial support system, to train me and push me to reach new heights.
I was lucky to be coached smartly and effectively to build the needed physical and mental strength to climb my mountains.
Today, after climbing more than 30 mountains including Mount Everest and the 7 Summits, I’m ready to provide you with all the possible solutions, working around your limitations to help you climb your own mountains.
The mountains have taught me to be patient, to be insistent, to be stronger, and to be ambitious.
Mountains are my mentors!”
WHY MOUNTURTLE?
Preparation Before Destination
Reaching a summit is only one moment in a much bigger journey.
At MounTurtle, we believe that how you prepare matters just as much as where you are going.
Our approach brings together four fundamental pillars:
Physical Fitness
Building the strength, endurance and movement capacity required for the mountains.
Mental Resilience
Developing the mindset to manage uncertainty, discomfort, setbacks and the unexpected.
Nutrition & Recovery
Understanding how to fuel, recover and care for your body throughout training and on the mountain.
Equipment & Mountain Knowledge
Learning what you need, how to use it and how to move through mountain environments with greater confidence and awareness.
Together, these pillars help transform an ambition into a journey you are genuinely prepared to undertake.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Slowly IS Surely.
Mountains teach us that progress does not need to be fast to be powerful.
One step.
Then another.
We believe in preparation over shortcuts, consistency over intensity, and progress over perfection.
Every person starts from a different place. Every mountain requires something different. Our role is to meet you where you are and help you build toward where you want to go.
Because becoming mountain ready is not about proving how strong you already are.
It is about discovering how strong you can become.
Our Mission
To prepare people physically, mentally and practically for the mountains, while helping them build a deeper connection with nature, with others and with themselves.
Through training, education and real mountain experiences, we want people to feel confident, capable and present outdoors.
Because being mountain ready is not only about reaching a summit.
It is about learning to move through the mountains with awareness, respect and joy.
OUR VISION
To build a community where people of different ages, backgrounds and abilities feel empowered to explore mountains and nature with confidence, knowledge and respect.
A community that values preparation as much as achievement, connection as much as the summit, and understands that some of the most meaningful moments happen along the way.
Our vision is simple:
Prepare with purpose. Connect with nature. Climb with Joy.
WHAT WE DO
MounTurtle brings mountain preparation and mountain experiences together under one approach.
TRAIN
Build your mountain-specific fitness through group programs, individual coaching and progressive physical preparation designed around your goals.
LEARN
Develop the practical knowledge that makes you more confident and independent in the mountains, from equipment and layering to nutrition, recovery, pacing and expedition preparation.
EXPERIENCE
Put preparation into practice through hiking workshops, summit simulations, retreats and carefully designed outdoor experiences.
Our experiences are also opportunities to connect with nature, with other people and with yourself.
CLIMB
When you are ready, take your preparation onto the mountain through selected expeditions and adventures in the UAE and internationally.
From your first summit to higher-altitude objectives, the goal remains the same:
Arrive prepared. Climb responsibly. Enjoy the journey.
Our Values
Preparation
We believe confidence comes from knowing that you have done the work.
Knowledge
The more you understand your body, your equipment and the mountain environment, the better prepared you are to make good decisions.
Resilience
Mountains rarely go exactly according to plan. We learn to adapt, remain patient and keep moving forward.
Community
Mountains are powerful places for human connection. We train together, learn from one another and support each other’s journeys.
Respect & Leave No Trace
The mountains give us extraordinary places to explore, learn and connect. We have a responsibility to protect them.
We encourage responsible mountain practices, respect for wildlife and local environments, and the principles of Leave No Trace. We carry out what we carry in, reduce our impact wherever possible, and whenever we can, we leave the mountain cleaner than we found it.
We climb with respect, and we protect the places that make our journeys possible.
Joy
We take mountains seriously without forgetting why we go there in the first place.
To explore. To discover. To connect. To feel alive.
To Climb with Joy.
FOUNDED BY DR. JOYCE AZZAM
MounTurtle Academy was founded by Dr. Joyce Azzam, the first Lebanese woman and among the first three Arab women to complete the Seven Summits, including Mount Everest.
Her journey to the world’s highest mountains was not built on natural athletic ability or shortcuts. It was built slowly, through years of training, learning, setbacks, adaptation and persistence.
That journey shaped the philosophy behind MounTurtle.
Strength can be built.
Knowledge can be learned.
Confidence can grow.
And extraordinary goals can begin with very small steps.
Today, Joyce brings those lessons into MounTurtle Academy to help others prepare for their own mountains, whatever those mountains may be.
YOUR MOUNTAIN STARTS HERE
You don’t need to already be a mountaineer.
You don’t need to have all the equipment.
And you don’t need to know exactly how you will reach your goal.
You simply need somewhere to start.
Slowly IS Surely.
Our Services
Meet the team
