Families have taken children as young as 2 to Everest Base Camp

A handful of families have taken children as young as 2 years old to Mount Everest Base Camp in recent years. Three of them describe the experience.

When her daughter, Arishka, was just 6 years old, Dimple Laddha took her to Everest Base Camp.

The camp sits at an elevation of around 17,600 feet, where the oxygen concentration is nearly 50% less than at sea level. Winter temperatures can drop below freezing at night. The standard 80-mile hike from the town of Lukla to Base Camp and back is often attempted by athletes and adventure seekers over 10 to 12 days. It involves an elevation gain of more than 8,000 feet.

Dimple said that for two years before their trip in April, she and Arishka had been going on 5-mile walks near their house in Pune, India, and she decided her daughter was ready for a challenge.

“Kids in general have a lot of energy,” Dimple said, adding: “I find it’s the duty of the parents to channel that energy in the right direction.”

Dimple Laddha took her daughter, Arishka, to Everest Base Camp last year at 6 years old.Dimple LaddhaWhen planning the trip, Dimple Googled whether small children had gone to Base Camp in the past, and said she found that a 4-year-old girl had indeed completed the climb.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/parenting/everest-base-camp-young-children-rcna143586

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