Zara, a four-year-old girl originally from the Czech Republic, has set a new record by reaching the base camp of Mount Everest. Accompanied by her father and seven-year-old brother, Zara has reportedly become the youngest girl to ever achieve this feat at the age of four years and five months.

An Instagram account under her brother's name confirmed the success on Jan. 7, and added that the family is currently making their weeks-long return from the base camp. The total length of the family's expedition to and from the base camp will cover approximately 270 kilometers, with a cumulative elevation gain of more than 20,000 meters.

The challenging journey exposed the team to harsh conditions, including temperatures as low as -25 degrees Celsius at the Everest base camp. The expedition faced accommodation challenges in hostels with minimal amenities, including cold rooms with temperatures dropping to -11 degrees Celsius.

Despite these conditions, Zara's father, David Šifra, emphasized the importance of careful acclimatization, monitoring blood oxygen saturation, and progressing gradually.

Zara, who has been raised in the demanding environment of rural Malaysia, showcased exceptional physical conditioning. The family's unique approach to Zara's upbringing involves imitating the traditional lifestyles of local tribes.

From an early age, Zara has walked 5-10 kilometers daily with cumulative elevation gains of 300-600 meters, and walked a total of over 2,200 kilometers in the jungle in 2023. The family's dedication to physical and mental development prepared Zara for the demanding trek in the Himalayas.

"Little Zara never bathes in warm water, on the contrary, she adds ice, which is probably why the cold didn't cause her any problems," stated Zara's brother Saša on the Instagram profile.

"During the march, there was no problem, thanks to her very good physical condition, little Zara even outpaced hundreds of other trekkers, with a few exceptions."

Residing in Malaysia, Zara is a citizen of the Czech Republic and Canada, and speaks Czech, Chinese, and English. Her family's unconventional approach to parenting has sparked discussions about the physical and mental capacities of young children.

https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/4-year-old-czech-girl-becomes-youngest-to-reach-base-camp-at-everest

Younger than all the Tibetan kids who live around there?  Really?

ETA: I'm sure there's been some Tibetan youngster who hitched a ride on a yak with his/her dad as they ferried equipment up to base camp.  Sort of a "go to work with dad" kind of thing.

Children yearn for the mines.

I just don't understand the point of it all.

I truly hope that the kids don't suffer from dad's crazy decisions.

base camp is already over 17,000 feet above sea level, it already costs a lot of money just to get that far.

Now someone is going to try bringing their toddler up there to beat this record.

Oh, they will.

It is nothing more than the usual Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok "Look at me!  Look at me!" bullshit that is infesting modern society

No kidding

OK?

My point is, this smacks of "Columbus discovers America" to me.

I’ve done a few summits and never posted a single one.  Some of us take it as a personal challenge, and although I haven’t caved, the kids ask frequently to go.  For some of these, I’d have no problem taking them.  You should see some of the elderly doing these climbs, much greater risk than the kids.

Everest base camp is not a technical or relatively unsafe climb, it’s a matter of distance and time is all.

Sounds like the child's entire upbringing is engineered around preparing her for Everest.  Seems normal.  

Compared to what?  Thinking your kid will play in the NBA/NFL/MLB/etc? Or how about bringing them up to try and do professional motocross?

4 year olds out there on dirt bikes breaking their arms every day, nobody blinks an eye.  Family goes on what amounts to an extended camping trip, OMG!

This. Foolish "look at me" stunt by the parents. Thank goodness she didn't end up like Jessica Dubroff.

Everest itself on the main routes isn't really a hard climb other than the fact that the weather and lack of oxygen is trying to kill you the whole time.

Sounds like a case of parents seeking attention at the expense of their children's safety

I’m much more upset about fat kids everywhere than I am about this.

What do 4 year old mountaineers, 4 year old transgender children, and vegetarian cats all have in common?

youngest carried to base camp

Just wait for the 1st toddler to summit bid, it's coming. Everest has turned into a race to be the "First (fill in the blank) to climb Everest" to whoever can afford to hire an outfitter and enough Sherpas to drag you up the mountain.

Shit heads.

I'm told that if you are younger than 16 years old, you are not technically allowed to go up to Mauna Kea on Hawaii, because the low oxygen level is thought to be harmful to a developing brain.  The peak is a touch under 14,000ft.

I don't know if that's the real reason, or if "they" are lying, and simply don't want kids up there,  but that's what I was told.

Parents that make poor decisions.

Cluster-B Munchausen Mommies, and feckless or absent beta-fathers?

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It will be the norm

I don’t disagree about the attention part, but it’s a climb to base camp.  Not all that dangerous.

It would be epic if you did that on a Ural.

On my bucket list

An intense, instinctive desire to extract riches from the earth

Glamping at base camp is a thing

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At least his girlfriend is not feeding her batteries and screws.

haha...no shit...when a Tibetan does it no one gives a shit, but when some white kid does it, it's like some kind of exceptional human achienvement.

Social Media demands it.

Thank God a white guy did or Hillary would have been named Karen

Can you imagine how many snacks they had to bring?

The outdoor activity communities (skiing, mountaineering, kayaking, etc.) are especially polluted with that bullshit.   It's not enough anymore to just go out and challenge yourself and have an adventure.... people have to be the First or the Fastest or the Oldest or the Youngest  or whatever.  

And of course, everybody's gotta put it on Instagram or YouTube.

Gross stupidity to endanger children.

That’s badass. I bet those kids grow up to be very driven, successful people. What a cool family story to have,

Four year olds on dirt bikes ranks right up there with trailers, pit bulls, and infants all at the same time.

Or having the silence and majesty of the Himalayas violated by endless refrains of "Baby shark do do do do do do do"

Lol that caught my eye too.

Our way is unique. We do it the same way as other people. Uniquely though. But also the same.

Negative.

It's EBC. No actual climbing. Just a long trek, with no real danger other than possible altitude sickness. Monitoring your blood oxygen levels is a thing on that route.

I don't see a problem with bringing a kid on that trek.... I just think bragging about it on Instagram is stupid.

Poor parenting and a willingness to endanger a child for the sake of notoriety.

Can't they just drive up there in a Subaru?

Your climbs are not what I was referring to.  Taking a 4 year old and 7 year old to base camp, followed by posting to Instagram (as stated on the OP) is the very definition of "Look at me!"

Bragging about it on Instagram was the whole point.