Arishka Laddha, a six-year-old from Maharashtra’s Pune city has become the youngest Indian girl to climb the Mt. Everest Base camp. The base camp lies at more than 17,500 ft. Anushka who resides in Pune’s Kothrud did this 15 days expedition with her mother Dimple Laddha.
EverestDream members were been lucky to meet and interact with her during the journey and have some memories with the teams. They have the moment to share with Arishka and talk to her mom and personally interact about their preparation during the training time.
Six-year-old Arishka Laddha from Pune, Maharashtra, has achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the youngest Indian girl to conquer the Mt. Everest Base Camp, situated at an elevation of over 17,500 ft. Accompanied by her mother, Dimple Laddha, Arishka embarked on this 15-day expedition, braving extreme temperatures ranging from -3 to -17 degrees Celsius. To combat the harsh weather conditions, the young adventurer wore multiple layers of clothing, totaling 7-8 garments. In an interview with Times Now, Arishka expressed her happiness and recounted encountering yaks and mules during the trek. She also shared her aspiration to conquer the summit of Mount Everest, which her mother wholeheartedly supports. Dimple expressed her willingness to train her daughter professionally for the ultimate challenge, provided Arishka continues to display enthusiasm and dedication.
Dimple revealed that the decision to embark on this journey was spontaneous, even though experts had cautioned against taking such a young child to the base camp. Typically, children above the age of 12 undertake this arduous trek. However, Dimple highlighted that her daughter leads an active lifestyle and frequently accompanies her on treks to forts around Pune. Recounting their adventures, she mentioned their repeated climbs up Sinhagadh, a popular fort in the region.
Nepal, home to eight of the world’s ten highest peaks, attracts numerous adventurers during the spring climbing season when temperatures are favorable and winds are calm. According to an AFP report, a record number of climbers, nearly 1,000 individuals including Nepali guides, are expected to attempt the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) ascent in the coming weeks. Mount Everest, known as Sagarmatha in Nepali and Chomolungma in Tibetan, has fascinated climbers since it was identified as the world’s tallest mountain above sea level. The first expedition to Everest was launched in 1921 by the British, but it took another 32 years and several subsequent expeditions before Nepali Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary reached its summit. Over the past seventy years, commercialization has drawn crowds of climbers to the mountain, with more than 6,000 people successfully reaching the summit, the majority in the last two decades.
The cost of climbing Mount Everest ranges from $45,000 to $200,000, depending on the services and level of luxury involved. This includes an $11,000 permit for foreign climbers, as well as expenses for travel, insurance, equipment, and most importantly, guides. The Himalayan Database reports that Everest has always posed risks, with over 300 fatalities since climbing began. Experts attribute some of the dangers to the sheer number of climbers, including ill-prepared thrill-seekers. In 2019, overcrowding caused a massive traffic jam on Everest, forcing teams to wait for hours in freezing temperatures, resulting in depleted oxygen levels, sickness, and exhaustion. That year, at least four of the 11 deaths were attributed to overcrowding.
This year, Nepal has already issued 466 permits to foreign climbers, and since most climbers require a guide, over 900 people will attempt to summit during the season, which lasts until early June. According to a Reuters report, Chinese nationals have received the highest number of permits (96), followed by U.S. climbers (87), with climbers from India securing 40 permits. The second climbing season, less popular, runs from September to November.
The difficult journey of trekking to Everest Base Camp necessitates extensive planning and training. Although there isn’t a set age limit for the walk, because of how difficult it is, it is usually advised for people 16 years old and older 1. But as the Earth Trekkers family, who hiked to Everest Base Camp with their children Tyler and Kara when they were 10 and 11 years old, showed, it is possible to trek to Everest Base Camp with children as young as 6 years old . The trek requires at least 14 days to complete round-trip, and it’s crucial to allow enough time to travel the required distance and acclimate to the higher altitudes.
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