Ashleen Mandrick from Lancing reached the south base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal, which is 5,364 metres above sea level.Ashleen Mandrick from Lancing reached the south base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal, which is 5,364 metres above sea level.
Ashleen Mandrick from Lancing reached the south base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal, which is 5,364 metres above sea level.

Lancing girl becomes youngest Briton to reach Everest milestone

A record-breaking six-year-old girl from Lancing has claimed another climbing first.

On December 3, Ashleen Mandrick from Brighton Road reached the south base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal – 5,364 metres above sea level.

She is believed to be the youngest Briton to do so, and could be the youngest person ever to reach base camp. This comes after she became the youngest person to ever ascend Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in September, which by comparison is 5,895m tall. Her mother Victoria said she ‘absolutely loved’ the experience and was treated like a celebrity. She said: “People kept congratulating us and taking selfies and pictures with Ashleen because there are no other children in the Himalayas. She was wondering what is wrong with all these people, why aren’t they taking pictures of the mountains?” The pair, joined by Victoria’s son Nicholas, also climbed Kala Patthar – a 5,643m ‘hill’ with the best views of Mount Everest – on December 2 and 4. Victoria said they saw and heard lots of avalanches coming down, and when Ashleen saw Everest she wanted to carry on and climb its 8,848-metre peak. “I told her she would have to wait a bit to do that – but she would absolutely love to,” Victoria added. They had to brave the elements to get there. Victoria said: “The cold was absolutely crazy: -20 degrees at night, and in the rooms it was -11.” In 2015, two earthquakes in the area killed more than 20 people on Mount Everest and destroyed paths from the base camp to Kala Patthar. As a result, the guides taking the family got lost, and they had to march for nine hours. Victoria said: “I found it a bit scary but Ashleen was really excited. She loves the idea of getting lost.”

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