![\"Angus](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/9074e55c39477e8cc871ddc5bc231809f9f522a3.png\")
Save<\/p>\nSave<\/p>\n
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n
Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n A Melbourne schoolgirl has become the youngest Australian to summit Mount Everest, after falling short of the peak last year.<\/p>\n Bianca Adler reached the snow-capped summit of the world\u2019s tallest mountain about 7am on Wednesday morning (AEST), her parents said via their blog<\/a> and social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just got news that Bianca is at the summit of Mt Everest!\u201d her mother, Fiona Adler, wrote on the blog. \u201cPaul [her father] was able to speak on the radio to her and she sounded a bit tired, but over the moon!<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all so proud of you and all the work you\u2019ve put into this.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking to her father over the radio from the summit, the 18-year-old said she felt physically great, but that she would soon descend because it was \u201ca little bit cold and windy, and dark\u201d.<\/p>\n To avoid getting stuck in the cold behind other climbers, Adler set off on the final leg of the journey while it was still dark, which her mother said was \u201ca small price to pay for a safe and successful summit\u201d.<\/p>\n In a post on social media before departing base camp for the summit, Adler said she was nervous but excited for the challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve put so much work into this next week, and I\u2019m doing, and will, do everything I can to stay safe, have fun and get to the top of the world,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n The record for youngest Australian to summit Mount Everest was previously held by then-19-year-old Gabby Kanizay<\/a>, from Brighton.<\/p>\n Growing up surrounded by the French Alps in the town of Annecy, Adler dreamed of climbing the Himalayas and joined her father on hikes through the nearby mountains. Her parents \u2013 both skilled hikers who have conquered Everest \u2013 inspired her love of the outdoors, and she spent much of her childhood rock climbing, canoeing and bike riding.<\/p>\n The family eventually returned to Melbourne and Adler trained in the Dandenongs while she continued to seek out the world\u2019s highest peaks across the Andes, Alps and Himalayas. She is a VCE student at St Leonard\u2019s College in Brighton East.<\/p>\n In 2024, as a 16-year-old, she became the youngest woman to summit Manaslu, the world\u2019s eighth-tallest mountain.<\/p>\n Her triumph on Wednesday morning came less than 12 months after a failed attempt. In June last here, Adler was forced to abandon the hike about five hours shy of the summit owing to intense winds and freezing conditions. Adler said she had tried to \u201cgaslight myself into thinking it was just a light breeze\u201d, but she started showing early signs of frostbite and her Sherpas suggested they turn back.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had dad on the radio and I made the call,\u201d she wrote on her blog. \u201cI did cry a bit in that moment, when I knew I wouldn\u2019t make it.<\/p>\n \u201cI still had another 5 hours at least to go, but I felt so close. I decided to turn around, and cried for the next 30 minutes as we descended.\u201d<\/p>\n Hiking in the \u201cdeath zone\u201d \u2013 from 8000 metres above sea level \u2013 took a toll on her health. At that height, the air contains about one-third the amount of oxygen compared with sea level, and is not survivable for extended periods of time. Adler lost muscle mass due to malnutrition and overtraining, and her breathing was shaky for several days.<\/p>\n In a viral social media video posted after spending three days in the death zone, a raspy-voiced and hyperventilating Adler said she was \u201cfeeling the worst I have ever felt\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cMy throat and lungs \u2026 I\u2019m so out of breath,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n By midday on Wednesday, Adler had descended about halfway from the Everest\u2019s summit to camp four, safely making it past the most treacherous stretch of the mountain.<\/p>\n \u201cIt still might be slow going, depending on how many people are up there, though,\u201d her mother said.<\/p>\n Her father told ABC Radio shortly before 1pm that it was an anxious wait as Adler made the descent. \u201cIf you put one foot wrong you are dead,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s only just gone below 8000 metres. We haven\u2019t been able to speak to her.<\/p>\n \u201cShe can send us little texts on a satellite tracker she\u2019s got. That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Bianca](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/64b1ae77e93613dd892a4d26667f41f2c87e355a.jpeg\")
Bianca Adler shortly before attempting to summit Mount Everest.Instagram: bianca_adler1<\/p>\n![\"Adler](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f5a9d0c682c0709571b47d94a5bc8f7e7dd48641.jpeg\")
Adler climbed during the early morning to avoid getting stuck in a queue of hikers. Instagram: bianca_adler1<\/p>\n![\"Angus](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768742719_841_9074e55c39477e8cc871ddc5bc231809f9f522a3.png\")
Angus Delaney<\/a> is a reporter at The Age. Email him at angus.delaney@theage.com.au or contact him securely on Signal at angusdelaney.31Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners