WORDS BY DOTWNews
Top of the world: the undeterred 13-year-old Malavath Poorna saw six dead bodies en route to the top of the world
Malavath Poorna, a 13-year-old girl from India’s recently formed Telangana state is the youngest ever person to ascend to the summit of Mount Everest.
The teenager completed the climb on May 25, just over a fortnight before her fourteenth birthday, along with 16-year-old teammate S. Anand Kumar. Both have since completed a safe descent.
The Indian teens were aided by a team of Nepalese guides, who climbed the summit on the trickier northern Tibetan slope. The vast majority of climbers attempt the 8,848-metre ascent via the south-facing Nepalese route, but Nepal does not allow climbers under 16 years old.
Only three days after the team’s arrival at Everest Base Camp, an avalanche killed 16 sherpas, but the group of 20 were not deterred.
Even more remarkably, Poorna is from a particularly modest home but was fully sponsored by Transcend Adventures. Her parents earn just Rs35,000 (US $594) per year, according to the expedition’s web page.
“Every step was dangerous. At some places there were crevasses and at others steep rocks,” Poorna told Gulf News.
“At 3,300 metres, I saw six dead bodies. That unnerved me for a while. But I regained my composure remembering the massive hard work my trainers had put in. It is difficult to explain, but taking even one step on those mountains is a big leap,” she added.
Only three days after the team’s arrival at Everest Base Camp, an avalanche killed 16 sherpas, but the group of 20 were not deterred.
Even more remarkably, Poorna is from a particularly modest home but was fully sponsored by Transcend Adventures. Her parents earn just Rs35,000 (US $594) per year, according to the expedition’s web page.
“Every step was dangerous. At some places there were crevasses and at others steep rocks,” Poorna told Gulf News.
“At 3,300 metres, I saw six dead bodies. That unnerved me for a while. But I regained my composure remembering the massive hard work my trainers had put in. It is difficult to explain, but taking even one step on those mountains is a big leap,” she added.
Courtesy of dotwnews.com