Alyssa Azar becomes youngest Australian to reach Everest summit; Trainer Chase Tucker is all praises
Queensland teenager Alyssa Azar, who made her third Everest attempt on Saturday, has become the youngest Australian to scale Mount Everest. The 19-year-old daredevil mountaineer set out early for the final climb of about 800 metres to the peak of the tallest mountain in the world. Her father, Glenn Azar, confirmed the news of her climb. Glenn is currently walking the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea. It has always been Alyssa’s dream to be at the top of Everest and finally her dream has come true.
Alyssa’s climb went without a hitch. A post on her Facebook page verified her achievement. However, the descent is equally challenging and will take a couple of days before she can be back in base camp. The previous youngest Australian to scale Mount Everest was Rex Pemberton who climbed in 2005 at the age of 21.
After two failed attempts in 2014 and 2015, due to devastating earthquakes and avalanches, Alyssa had only one chance to make it to the top while still a teenager. On Friday, Alyssa reached base camp four in good weather and health. Earlier this week, clear weather allowed climbers to reach the summit for the first time in three years. Glenn, also an adventurer, said that her daughter had put in a lot of hard work to make this possible.
According to the ABC, it took Alyssa three years of training to make the record. Her trainer, Chase Tucker, said that Alyssa at time went very hard and he had to tell her to ease up. He said that in the Himalayas, it is not the intensity of training but the consistency, practice and modulation that matter the most. He found all these traits in Alyssa. She never budged from her goal and was incredibly focused.
Alyssa has loved adventure since her childhood. When she was eight, she crossed the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea. She has completed numerous treks such as treks to Everest Base Camp, Mount Kosciuszko, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Aussie 10. Alyssa joined a mountaineering course in New Zealand after completing her Kilimanjaro campaign in 2011. She has also climbed various other peaks including Aconcagua, Ama Dablam and Manaslu.
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