AN EDINBURGH shop worker was “elated and exhausted” yesterday after becoming the youngest Briton to scale both the north and south faces of Everest.
At 26, Mollie Hughes is also the youngest European woman and first English female to complete the feat.
Born in Devon, she works for capital-based outdoor specialist Tiso, which sponsored her record-breaking adventure.
Hughes, who summited the south side of Everest from the south side at the age of 21, completed the north ascent at 5.30am local time in Nepal yesterday. The time difference means friends and family in Scotland and England were still sleeping when she reached the top at 1.15am GMT.
In a short message home from the top of the world, Hughes said: “I am elated, exhausted and know I still have the hardest part to do – the long and difficult descent to base camp.”
Hughes, originally from Torbay, is 28 years younger than Northern Ireland’s Lynne Hannah, who became the first British woman to achieve both ascents at the age of 54 in 2016.
Hughes reached the peak with climbing partner John Gupta, of guiding firm Mountain Expeditions, after a four-week climb up 8,848m in temperatures as low as -40°C.
In clips posted online during the hike the pair play Britney Spears songs in their tent and tested their mental alertness at altitude with a Rubik’s Cube.
Now expected home in early June, they began the final stage of the during a break in the weather and Hughes, who hopes to raise £8,000 for Cancer Research UK, said: “The climbing has been really, really hard but our mental and physical strength got us up here.
“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. Now we’ll focus on achieving a safe descent from the top of the world.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here