5-year-old boy becomes youngest Singaporean to reach Everest Base Camp
By Bryan Ke
After an eight-day trek with his father, 5-year-old Abyan Imtiaz Irkiz made history as the youngest Singaporean ever to reach Everest Base Camp.
Key points:
- Abyan, a 5-year-old Kindergarten Year 2 student, reached Everest Base Camp in the south side, which has an altitude of 5,364 meters, in Nepal on Monday along with his father, Zikri Ali, 41. Ali shared the news in an Instagram post that day.
- With this achievement, Abyan has now broken the record set by Singaporean Om Madan Garg, who achieved the same feat with his parents in October 2022 at the age of 6 years and 6 months. Speaking to Today, the family said Om served as their inspiration for the trek.
What they’re saying:
- Commenting about the record-breaking feat, Ali told the Strait Times what they have achieved was a result of “months of hard work, dedication and perseverance.” He added, “Knowing that we’ve achieved something remarkable as a father-son team fills me with immense pride, gratitude and humility.”
The details:
- The trek, which started in the Nepalese town of Lukla, was supposed to take 10 days, but the father-and-son duo reached their destination in just eight days. They also pushed further and reached Kala Patthar, known as one of the highlights of the South Everest Base Camp trek.
- The idea to attempt the record came after Abyan’s parents organized a yoga retreat in November 2022 in Nepal’s Nagarkot area, where the boy, who was around 4 and a half years old at the time, easily managed a 12-kilometer (7.4-mile) hike, according to the Strait Times.
- “(Abyan) managed to do quite well. And I was quite impressed actually,” Ali told Today. “I was thinking to myself: Hmm, I think maybe he can do it (the Everest base camp hike). With some training, he can definitely do it.”
- After deciding to break the record in October 2023, Abyan and his father began training in November by climbing up and down 27 stories of stairs, taking long walks and hiking at Bukit Timah Hill. They documented their progress on Ali’s Instagram account.
- Some of the challenges the duo faced during the Everest Base Camp climb include the numbing cold, “constant panting” and thinning air as they ascended.
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