Summit to celebrate
Mollie, 26, makes history with second Everest ascent
A WOMAN has made history by becoming the youngest British climber to scale Mount Everest from both sides.
Mollie Hughes, 26, scaled 8848m to reach the summit of Everest from the north side yesterday morning.
Her feat also makes the climber the youngest European woman and the first English woman to scale the peak from both the north and south sides.
In temperatures as low as -40C, Mollie, who lives in Edinburgh, reached the summit with climbing partner Jon Gupta of Mountain Expeditions.
She hopes to raise more than £8000 for Cancer Research UK – £1 for every metre climbed.
After reaching the summit, Mollie, who grew up in Devon, said: “I am elated, exhausted and know I still have the hardest part to do – the long and difficult descent to base camp.
“I can confirm that the north side is definitely more difficult than the south side.
“I am really proud to be the youngest Briton to have scaled Everest from both sides – and to have raised funds to support the work of Cancer Research UK.”
Mollie reached the summit of Everest from its south side at 21.
She started climbing at secondary school and at the age of 17 scaled Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest peak. Lynne Hannah, 54, from Northern Ireland, became the first British woman to climb Everest from both the north and south sides last year.
Many climbers choose to set off from the south, with the north thought to expose mountaineers to colder and windier conditions. The route includes a tough and mentally testing final-day climb over three rocky steps on the northeast ridge.
All are negotiated at an altitude of more than 8500m (28,000ft) in the so-called “death zone.”