5-year-old boy becomes youngest S’porean to conquer Everest Base Camp

5-year-old boy from Singapore reaches Everest Base Camp with father

Abyan Imtiaz Ikriz has become the youngest Singaporean to reach Everest Base Camp at just five years old.

He achieved the feat with his father, Mr Zikri Ali, by his side, as they reached the camp located more than 5,300 metres above sea level two days earlier than planned.

Both of them arrived there safely on Monday (29 April).

5-year-old boy youngest Singaporean to reach Everest Base Camp

As confirmed by the Singapore Book of Records, Abyan broke the record earlier set by Om Madan Garg, a 6-year-old boy who reached Mount Everest Base Camp on 7 Oct 2022.

Om took 10 days to conquer Everest Mount Camp with his team, dealing with bad weather, flight cancellations, and an absence of basic amenities.

Likewise, the journey for Abyan wasn’t an easy one either.

Trained for climb even during fasting month

In a post on Abyan’s Instagram account marking the successful ascent to Everest Base Camp, the caption read: “All the sweat, tears, and dedication over the last 6 months, including training during Ramadan, have led to this incredible achievement.”

According to Berita Harian (BH), Abyan had trained for the climb with his father four to five times a week, doing exercises like stair climbing, long-distance trekking, and hill-climbing at places such as Bukit Timah.

Besides physical efforts, the young boy’s aspirations required strong financial support too. Mr Zikri shared that he spent almost S$10,000 to fulfil his son’s dream and hired local guides to help plan the trip.

An opportunity that can’t be missed

BH reported that the father and son pair arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal on 20 April and flew to Lukla — the town trekkers must pass through to start the trek — the next day to start their journey on foot to Everest Base Camp on 22 April.

Ms War War, Abyan’s mother, shared that Mr Zikri sent her a message at around 7.15pm on 29 April and told her about their achievement.

“The last time I communicated with Zikri was on 28 April and he told me that day was tiring for him and Abyan,” she told BH.

Continuous trekking on foot and the change in altitude had left the pair feeling nauseous, but they later realised they were fine after checking their oxygen levels.

Ms War War was eagerly anticipating updates from Mr Zikri and Abyan as the Internet connection wasn’t stable or strong there.

But all was well as Mr Zikri had taken every precautionary measure possible, including bringing equipment to monitor oxygen levels and medication for altitude sickness.

“This journey is a learning opportunity in life, so it’s something that can’t be missed,” he said.

Also read: 6-year-old Singaporean boy reaches Mt Everest Base Camp, youngest to achieve feat

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Featured image courtesy of @abyan.irkiz on Instagram and Instagram.