Three-year-old Ukrainian sets a record: he climbed to Everest Base Camp by himself (photo)
7 November 2025 13:52
Three-year-old Ukrainian Arsen Dubovenko accomplished the incredible – he climbed to the base camp of Mount Everest (5364 meters) on his own, becoming the world’s youngest child to climb this route without adult help. However, the child’s parents failed to officially register the record. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Varosh.
The boy, who was 3 years and 11 months old at the time of the climb, walked about 65 kilometers from Lukla village to Everest Base Camp and back on his own feet, without being carried or transported.
“We did not carry him or use any means of transportation. He traveled all the way up and down on his own,” said Ivanna Dubovenko, the boy’s mother.
The ascent took place on November 11, 2024. Arsen was accompanied by his parents and older brothers, 11-year-old Arthur and 7-year-old Aaron.
According to Ivanna Dubovenko, the children perceived the hike as a game: they competed to see who could walk faster, counted yaks and mules, and threw stones into the river. Tourists they met along the way admired the little Ukrainian’s endurance, took pictures with him and even filmed him.
“We didn’t insist – we took a child’s backpack to carry him just in case. But we never needed it,” says Arsen’s mother.
Only an hour before arriving at the camp, all the family members felt a mild headache – a typical reaction to an altitude of over 5000 meters.
Despite the fact that Arsen’s record has not yet been officially registered, his parents are confident that he has become the youngest child to ever reach Everest Base Camp.
“When you see adults celebrating that they have reached the top, and your kid has done it, you want people to know about it. Not for the glory, but because it’s a real story,” says Ivanna Dubovenko.
Previously, the record was held by 4-year-old Zara from the Czech Republic and 5-year-old Abian from Singapore.
For reference: Everest Base Camp (EBC) in Nepal is located at an altitude of 5364 meters. Usually, the route to it takes 8-12 days with stops for acclimatization, but the Dubovenko family made it in just 7 days, skipping a day of rest in the village of Pheriche.
