Adriana Brownlee, a 23-year-old British mountaineer, has become the youngest woman to climb all 14 of the world’s highest mountains—each standing over 8,000 meters tall.
However, Brownlee is warning that inexperienced climbers should avoid tackling such dangerous peaks without proper preparation, saying it puts both their lives and others at risk.
Brownlee climbed Mount Everest at the age of 20 and finished her record-breaking journey earlier this month by scaling Mount Shishapangma in China. Throughout her expeditions, she noticed some climbers lacked essential skills, such as properly using crampons or harnesses. “Some people in the mountains shouldn’t really be there,” Brownlee told reporters in Kathmandu, Nepal. “They need more training first.”
She suggested that mountaineering authorities should require climbers to practice on smaller mountains before attempting the tallest peaks. Currently, most countries, including Nepal, only enforce minimum age restrictions—16 years old for high-altitude climbs—without requiring specific experience.
Brownlee first dreamed of becoming a mountaineer at just eight years old, inspired by her father. She now plans to explore more remote and unclimbed mountains, hoping to inspire young people to follow their passions, no matter how unusual their dreams might seem.
She has also launched a mountaineering business in Nepal, focusing on guiding climbers who are well-prepared for the challenges. Alongside other record-breaking climbers, such as 18-year-old Nima Rinji Sherpa—the youngest person ever to scale all 14 peaks—Brownlee aims to promote responsible climbing.
