{"id":38006,"date":"2024-05-28T07:00:48","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T01:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalindian.com\/youth\/\/?post_type=story&p=38006"},"modified":"2024-09-27T15:48:21","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T10:18:21","slug":"on-top-of-the-world-teen-mountaineer-kaamya-karthikeyan-becomes-youngest-to-conquer-everest-sets-sights-on-antarctica","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/old.globalindian.com\/youth\/story\/cover-story\/on-top-of-the-world-teen-mountaineer-kaamya-karthikeyan-becomes-youngest-to-conquer-everest-sets-sights-on-antarctica\/","title":{"rendered":"On Top of the World: Teen mountaineer\u00a0Kaamya\u00a0Karthikeyan becomes youngest to conquer Everest, sets sights on Antarctica"},"content":{"rendered":"

(May 28, 2024)<\/strong> On May 19, when Kaamya Karthikeyan and her father, an Indian Navy Commander S Karthikeyan were hours away from Camp 4 in Mount Everest, at an elevation of 7,950 metres (26,085 feet) \u2014 they were greeted by extremely heavy winds, laden with small pieces of snow which cut through their skin.\u00a0It fogged up their glasses, making it difficult to walk through what was already a precarious route. Braving it all, the 16-year-old and her father reached Camp 4. As the night approached, the ferocity of winds increased drastically as they set their sights on the summit. Several hours later, both were on top of the world \u2014 against all odds.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Camp 4, we\u00a0were extremely nervous as our oxygen supplies were limited and we could not afford to spend another night there (due to the worsening weather). Thankfully, the weather cleared up slightly early morning and we were finally able to leave for the summit,\u201d smiles\u00a0Kaamya\u00a0Karthikeyan, the second youngest girl in the world and the youngest Indian mountaineer to summit the world\u2019s highest peak from the Nepal side. She accomplished the mission on May 20.<\/p>\n

\"Indian

Speaking exclusively to Global Indian<\/em><\/a> from Kathmandu, hours after descending from Mount Everest,\u00a0Kaamya\u00a0says she was extremely excited and somewhat in disbelief after reaching the summit. \u201cThankfully, I was still feeling strong and was able to converse clearly. Being able to talk to my mom from the summit was definitely an amazing experience,\u201d says\u00a0Kaamya, class XII student of\u00a0Navy Children School, Mumbai.<\/p>\n

Sitting in Mumbai, her mother Lavanya Karthikeyan was both excited and relieved after having a brief conversation with her daughter and husband over satellite phone.<\/p>\n

The father-daughter duo left for the summit at 3 am from Camp 4. \u201cWe reached Camp 4 around 1:30 pm on May 19 and we were supposed to leave for the summit around 9:30 that night. But bad weather played \u00a0spoilsport. Once it improved slightly, we left at 3 am,\u201d she informs.<\/p>\n

Just 24 hours after\u00a0Kaamya\u00a0achieved the feat, a British climber and his guide, who too summitted Everest went missing during descent and have not been found since.<\/p>\n

Prepping up for Everest<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Kaamya says the physical preparation for summitting Mount Everest was very strenuous. \u201c we would go on long runs or cycling thrice a week. On other days, we climbed the stairs of our 21 floor building 10-15 times with a bagpack!,\u201d informs the mountaineer.<\/p>\n

Other than that,\u00a0Kaamya\u00a0had also been reading a lot about the expedition and details of the climb to mentally prepare herself for the long expedition.<\/p>\n

Mt Vinson Massif next\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Having conquered Mount Everest,\u00a0Kaamya\u00a0has now set her sights on Mt Vinson Massif, the highest mountain in Antarctica. \u201cI will be leaving for Antarctica in December this year,\u201d she informs adding that she intends to climb many more peaks in the Himalayas in the near future.<\/p>\n

\"Indian