Two eight-year-old Armenians, Monte Muradyan and Syune Kosakyan, have climbed to the summit of Mount Ararat, among the youngest known climbers to reach the top of the sacred mountain, according to 4 Peaks Alpine Club.
Both members of the 4 Peaks Alpine Club, they reached Ararat’s 5,165-meter summit on August 1, the youngest participants in the club’s girls’ and boys’ groups to complete the ascent. The club called it an exceptional achievement for Armenia, and possibly a record in the wider international context as well.
The climb followed months of training under a program built specifically for the ascent. Over that period, the two worked their way through mountain routes across Armenia, building experience and adjusting to altitude. They spent a night on the southern summit of Mount Aragats, Armenia’s highest peak, as a final step in acclimatizing to high-elevation conditions.
“Of course, the ascent of Ararat was not without trials,” the club said. “The altitude, walking at night, and exhaustion were serious challenges, but they were entirely surmountable thanks to proper organization, the supervision of guides and parents, gradual acclimatization, and the children’s exceptional will.”
No situations dangerous to the children’s health were recorded during the climb.
Mount Ararat, the enduring emblem of the Armenian nation, rises 5,165 meters and sits within present-day Turkish borders as part of the historical Armenian homeland.
