Fifteen-year-old Youssef Tazi has climbed Kang Yatse II in the Indian Himalayas, becoming the youngest Moroccan, Arab and African to reach an altitude of 6,250 metres (20,505 feet).
He reached the summit at 9:13 a.m. local time on Sunday, 2 August, after climbing the mountain in India’s Ladakh region.
The climb is part of his “Road to Everest 2028” project, which aims to prepare him for an attempt to climb Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain at 8,849 metres.
Youssef started the final climb from a base camp at 5,070 metres. Climbers faced temperatures of -10C, heavy fog and deep snow on summit day.
Only 16 of the 29 climbers on the route reached the top because of the difficult weather.
Youssef completed the climb without using supplementary oxygen. He carried an emergency oxygen cylinder for safety.
His father, Omar Tazi, climbed with him to 5,500 metres before Youssef completed the final section with his high-altitude support team.
Youssef began climbing mountains at the age of four. Before taking on international peaks, he climbed more than 40 mountains across Morocco.
He first made headlines at the age of 12 after climbing Mount Ararat in Turkey, becoming the first Moroccan child to climb above 5,000 metres. The same year, he reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa’s highest mountain at 5,895 metres.
At 13, he climbed Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus, which stands at 5,642 metres, becoming the youngest African to reach Europe’s highest peak.
His training for major Himalayan expeditions includes 14 months of physical, medical and psychological preparation.
