At 8am on Monday, April 29, most other five-year-olds were just preparing for the start of school. But Abyan Irkiz was wrapped in five layers of thermal wear as he braced for another day of climbing in Nepal.
That day, he made history as the youngest Singaporean to reach the foot of Mount Everest.
Abyan arrived at the base camp with his father, Zikri Ali, after a gruelling eight-day trek over 65km of rocky terrain. Sitting at 5.36km above sea level, it is primarily used by climbers as a base to ascend the world’s highest mountain.
“I was just so overwhelmed with emotions. This climb was the first time for both of us, and I was really impressed by Abyan’s determination. Throughout the entire trip, he never ... expressed any desire to give up. It was a very proud moment for me,” Zikri said.
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Preparing for the climb
For the 41-year-old father, that moment was the culmination of months of hard work and training, but the duo’s journey was already in the making even before Abyan could walk.
When he was a toddler, he had already earned the nickname of “Spider-Man” as he had the knack of climbing out of his high chair and clambering onto the grilles of doors and windows.
“This constant climbing made us worry, but his father also saw something special. He wondered if Abyan could achieve more with proper training,” said War War Lwin Tun, Abyan’s mother.
As Abyan grew older, Zikri – who enjoys going on hikes – thought trekking to Mount Everest base camp would be an interesting goal for his son.
To prepare his son for the trip, Zikri came up with a training programme using hikes in Singapore. Over the course of six months, he made sure to start with short, easy walks of 4.5km and then gradually increased the distance and frequency of the hikes to 15km, four to five times a week. They also did some trekking during a trip to Hangzhou in December.
Meanwhile, War War, who is a yoga instructor, designed five yoga poses to help Abyan cool down and loosen up his muscles after every workout.
A big adventure
On April 20, Abyan and his father set off for Mount Everest base camp. After two flights, they arrived in a small town, Lukla, where they began their trek. There, they faced their first challenge: the cold.
“The first day was meant to be an easy downhill hike, but the cold hit us really hard. There were no heaters in the teahouse rooms, and I had to figure out how to keep ourselves warm even when we were already sleeping in fleece and down jackets,” Zikri said.
Abyan agreed: “I felt very cold. We had to wear lots of clothes to keep warm.”
Because of the freezing temperatures, Abyan had to drink hot water, which made him angry at first.
Zikri recalled: “I sat him down and told him: ‘I’m not here to make your life miserable. I am here to take care of you ... and give you the best chance to achieve your goal.’” This conflict eventually bonded them as Abyan’s trust in his father grew.
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Abyan also has fond memories of the expedition: playing games of Uno at night, seeing tall mountains, and learning how his body generates heat even while hiking in the cold.
His favourite moments include being on the Hillary Bridge, which is 135 metres tall. “I liked being on the suspension bridge. I [felt] like I was in the sky,” Abyan recalled with a grin.
He also saw a special animal that locals call “jokyo”. “It is a half cow, half yak. I wanted to ride it, but I was too short,” he said. But it might not be long before Abyan can ride a jokyo since he dreams of one day climbing to the top of Mount Everest.
Until then, Zikri and War War are content that their son has enjoyed his big adventure.
“This is the purest part of the experience, where he is just having fun ... and making all these wonderful memories with his father,” War War said.
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