"When I grow up, I want to be a mountaineer, climb the highest peaks in the world, and be one of the youngest to do it"... The childhood dream of British Adriana Brownlee, expressed in a school essay at the age of eight, has just become a reality sooner than she expected.
At 23 years old, and in less than four years since she conquered Everest in 2021, Adriana has climbed the 14 highest peaks in the world. The latest one was Shishapangma in Tibet, summited just over a week ago, despite serious difficulties in the final stretch when she started feeling nauseous and paid a high price for her decision not to use supplemental oxygen...
"The last stretch was very emotional, and I started to cry. We arrived just at dawn, under a clear and beautiful sky. I cried again when I remembered that it was the last of the 14 mountains above 8,000 meters that I had set out to climb and that I had finally made history."
64 mountaineers have achieved this feat, but Adriana Brownlee is the youngest, taking over from her compatriot Alan Hinkes, who completed the challenge in 2005: "It took me 17 years to climb them, and she has done it in less than four... That is truly remarkable. Achieving it in such a short time requires complete dedication and great endurance to endure the suffering."
"I have always felt love and fascination for the mountains, since I was a little girl," recalls Adriana Brownlee, born in London but seasoned in the altitudes thanks to her climber father, Tony Brownlee. At nine years old, she already made history with lowercase letters by completing the National Three Peaks Challenge (the three highest mountains in England, Wales, and Scotland) in 22 hours.
The obsession grew over the years, to the point where she decided to give up her studies at the University of Bath to fully dedicate herself to climbing, regardless of future plans: "Everyone should be able to create their own destiny and choose a journey that is completely unique and makes you happy."
Adriana continued climbing with her father, and before turning 18, she had already summited Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro. Later, she conquered Mont Blanc and the pyramid of Matterhorn, both climbed in just two and a half days. On May 31, 2021, at barely 20 years old, she reached the top of the world, the summit of Everest (8,849 meters).
After conquering the 14th peak, Shishapangma, she has decided to take a break in the Himalayas before setting foot again in what they call civilization: "I want to continue being among the mountains because it is my escape, where I truly feel connected with myself. Climbing is for me an intrinsic motivation, a way to achieve my goals and go beyond. I would like to help other people achieve their dreams and create a new generation of climbers."