Londoner becomes youngest woman to climb world’s 14 tallest peaks

Adriana Brownlee has just scaled the last of the world’s 14 mountain peaks which are more than 8,000m (26,247ft) high – something she said “was the most incredible moment”.

But even more special than becoming only the 64th person in the world to officially achieve this, is the fact she is now the youngest woman ever to do so.

“I quit university and my degree to pursue a career in mountaineering and sacrificed friendships, regular teenage life and more, but it was all worth it,” the 23-year-old Londoner explained.

“I hope to inspire youngsters all over the world that there is no set path in life.”

Adriana’s latest climb wasn’t without its challenges, after she and her team temporarily lost the guide rope they were using, and she battled nausea on the final ascent.

But the final push was an emotional one, and she said she “started to cry” when she neared the mountain’s peak.

“I hadn’t reached the summit yet, I couldn’t even see it, but I knew it was going to happen,” she said.

She and her team reached the 8,027m summit of Shishapangma in Tibet on 9 October.

“By this time it was just sunrise and we had a beautiful clear sky.

“I cried again remembering that I had just summited all 14 8,000-metre peaks and made history.”

Adriana also becomes the second British to climber to do so, adding: “British explorers have always been breaking boundaries.

“I’m proud to set another world first and keep that tradition alive,” she continued.

Adriana explained her “obsession” for mountains has been with her since childhood, when she completed the three peaks challenge on Snowden, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis in just 22 hours, at just eight years old.

She even submitted school homework which said her dream was to ‘be famous for climbing the highest mountain in the world’, because she ‘always liked mountains and especially high ones’.

“I have always had a love and fascination with mountains for as long as I can remember,” she added.

The former university student fulfilled her childhood dream of summiting Mount Everest in 2021, aged 20 – and continued to set world firsts as she scaled peak after peak.

She became the youngest woman in the world to summit K2, and the youngest person to summit Gasherbrum 1 without supplementary oxygen.

For her latest climb, Adriana again wanted to summit without the use of supplementary oxygen to make it a tougher challenge.

“It’s all about intrinsic motivation for me and wanting to push my body and achieve my personal goals,” she said.

“Mountaineering is my escape in life, it makes me feel free and truly connected with myself so it becomes an obsession to go back.”

Adriana and her team are currently travelling through Tibet and recovering.

Although she has succeeded in reaching what many mountaineers would say is the ultimate goal, Adriana said she isn’t leaving mountains behind just yet.

“I will stay in the mountains, but now want to help others achieve their dream by creating a new generation of high altitude mountaineering and trekking experiences which focus on safety and clients’ past experiences,” she explained.

“You can create your own destiny and journey which can be totally unique to you if that’s what makes you happy.”