Advait Bhartia: Youngest Indian to summit Everest Base Camp at 6 years10 months

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Young Advait at the Everest Base Camp.

Internet Desk: A young boy from Pune accompanied by his mother successfully reached the Everest base camp located alongside the dreaded Khumbu Icefall at 17,593 ft above sea level on November 3. The mother son duo ( Payal and Advait Bartia) began their 12-day trek from the small village of Lukla, located at the foot of the Everest Valley at 8,900 ft and Dudh Khosi River, trekking through beautiful pine tree forests, climbing above the tree line and finally into the snow line, and to reach the base camp.

For an adult, this is usually an incredible feat, with not just the mountain trails to deal with but also the thin air, reduction in atmospheric oxygen and subzero temperatures dropping to about 8 to -12 degrees C at times. But for young adventurers of this age, this truly a surreal achievement.

Furthermore he is actively involved in other sports like football, swimming, martial arts and plays multiple music instruments like violin, piano and table. He speaks multiple foreign languages and youngest certified child to write Mandarin. Advait is in the first standard and studies in St Mary’s school in Pune.

According to Advait’s mother Payal The thing that Advait enjoyed the most was that he was able to do something so tough, so he felt a sense of accomplishment. While he was there, he commented that you can’t capture this beauty in a camera. His favorite moment was when once he was answering nature’s call and he actually looked up to find a Himalayan barking deer over his head, so he felt very very excited and I think its left a permanent indelible mark in his head.

What was the toughest test at that height? Payal said,” The thing that Advait found toughest was the breathing part, because as adults we know to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth but Advait had it tough. He was left panting often. He had to learn how to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth. Then at night, sometimes he would feel suffocated but he had the maturity to sit up and stay calm, and take deep breaths. He also used to feel very thirsty at night. And I think on the seventh or the eight day I told him not to wake me up and he picked up his mug and put it to his mouth in the middle of the night and he realized there is no water coming. He touched it and it had frozen. So then he held it inside his sleeping bag and waited till it melted and then he had it. So that was very mature on his part to have done that.

Payal confirmed that they are applying for the Guiness and Limca book of records for youngest child to reach the base camp in the winter season.