Seven-year-old Teghbir Singh from Punjab has become the youngest person in the world to successfully summit a mountain higher than 6,000 metres after scaling Mount Yunam in the Zanskar Range of Himachal Pradesh. The achievement was completed during an expedition that concluded on July 13 following nearly a week of high-altitude climbing and acclimatisation.
Teghbir, a Class III student of Shiwalik Public School in Ropar, Punjab, began the expedition on July 7 and reached the summit of Mount Yunam on July 13. At 7 years and 9 months of age, he surpassed the previous record set by Mumbai's Kaamya Karthikeyan, who successfully climbed a 6,000-metre-plus peak at the age of 9 years and 11 months in August 2017.
The expedition required extensive preparation to cope with high-altitude conditions, including low-oxygen acclimatisation and measures to prevent altitude sickness. Over six days, Teghbir and his team navigated challenging terrain, freezing temperatures that dropped to around minus 3 degrees Celsius at night, and the reduced oxygen levels typically experienced at elevations above 6,000 metres.
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On the final day of the climb, Teghbir set out for the summit at 6 a.m. in temperatures of around minus 5 degrees Celsius. Accompanied by his father and two experienced mountain guides, he trekked for approximately nine hours before reaching the summit at 2:50 p.m. on July 13, completing the demanding ascent under difficult weather conditions.
Speaking after the achievement, Teghbir said he had prepared for the climb and understood the challenges posed by the altitude. He credited his training and the support of his father for helping him reach the summit despite the low oxygen levels. He described the expedition as his first successful climb of a mountain above 6,000 metres and expressed happiness at accomplishing the feat.
Following the expedition, Teghbir was awarded a Certificate of Ascent by Parvatam Expedition and Travel, confirming the date and time of the summit as well as his age at the time of the climb. His achievement marks a significant milestone in Indian mountaineering and adds his name to the list of youngest high-altitude climbers to scale peaks above 6,000 metres.
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