Kaamya Karthikeyan, a class seven student, has become the youngest girl in the world to summit Mt Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America. This was disclosed by navy officials on Sunday.
She scaled the 6962 metres, Mt. Aconcagua, on February 1 and unfurled the tricolour there.
The #epic climb to summit Mt #Aconcagua #SouthAmerica. Sheer #grit and determination.#KaamyaKarthikeyan#adventure@SpokespersonMoD@DDNewslive@DDNewsHindi @airnewsalerts@PIBMumbai pic.twitter.com/Ywqx5s72sk
— PRO Defence Mumbai (@DefPROMumbai) February 9, 2020
Officials in the Navy said she achieved the feat, after years of physical and mental preparation and regular participation in adventure sports. She overcame many administrative hurdles and extreme climbing conditions to achieve this rare feat, said the navy statement.
Kaamya Karthikeyan, is a class seven student at the Navy Children School (NCS) in Mumbai and is the daughter of a Naval officer. She has already scaled the highest peaks in Africa, Europe and Australia in the past, including two peaks with heights of over 6000 meters above the sea level.
The #epic climb to summit Mt #Aconcagua #SouthAmerica. Sheer #grit and determination.#KaamyaKarthikeyan#adventure@SpokespersonMoD@DDNewslive@DDNewsHindi @airnewsalerts@PIBMumbai pic.twitter.com/Ywqx5s72sk
— PRO Defence Mumbai (@DefPROMumbai) February 9, 2020
In August, last year, she submitted Mt Mentok Kangri II at 6,262 metres (20,544 feet) in Ladakh. Her inspiration came from her father’s stories when he undertook Himalayan-scaling expeditions.
Initially, she started with basic treks in Lonavala, (Pune) at the age of three by by nine, she had completed several high-altitude Himalayan treks with her parents including Roopkund (5,020 metres) in Uttarakhand.
Her next mission is to complete the exclusive ‘Explorers Grand Slam’ by 2021. This involves the competitors to climb the tallest mountains in all continents besides skiing on the North Pole and South Pole – that has been achieved by just a handful of dare-devil adventurers on Earth.