19-year-old Gabby Kanizay from Melbourne’s Brighton has become the youngest Australian woman to climb the summit of Mount Everest.
Gabby climbed the peak with her 52-year-old mother Jane Kanizay and then scaled Lhotse. At 8,516m, Lhotse is the world’s fourth-highest peak.
In fact, any climb that passes 8,000m is considered “the death zone” because of the extreme weather conditions and low oxygen levels.
Along with their Nelapese Sherpas, the team was able to spend one hour at the summit and watch the sunrise from the top. Gabby told the media:
“It was just an incredible feeling. We’re the highest people in the world and we’ve finally done it and we’ve done it here together as well, which is amazing.”
Gabby’s mother took her on a trek to Everest Base Camp in 2018. This event inspired Gabby to reach even greater heights. Her mother adds:
“I think she picks things up quickly, listens and learns, and then just applies any skill that she learns. Whereas I have to be shown five times over.”
In 2016, Alyssa Azar from Queensland was 20-year-old when she reached the summit thus becoming the youngest Australian to climb Mount Everest. It has taken three years of training for Alyssa to reach the peak.
Before, Alyssa and Gabby, in 2005, the youngest Australian to reach the summit was Rex Pemberton who was aged 21.
Gabby’s proud father Jarrod Kanizay told the media:
“She’s very courageous and she’s very sporty. She has an energy about her that does allow her to stick to her guns and follow through.”
There are only fourteen mountains in the world that are above 8,000m and Gabby has now climbed three of them.
