Bianca Adler summited Everest at just 18 years old at 2:22am on 20 May, becoming the youngest Australian woman to reach the summit. With a glacial ice block blocking the Khumbu Icefall, alongside extreme winds and heavy snow, summit attempts were heavily delayed this season. On 20 May, many climbers were aiming for the summit, but to avoid the crowds and give herself the safest possible opportunity, Bianca left Camp 4 at 6:20pm, choosing to climb through the night and sacrifice the summit views in order to improve her chances of summiting safely. “Climbing for me isn’t just about the summit. It’s about pushing myself and training towards a goal. I trained enough to feel good and be able to appreciate being the highest person in the world, to point out mountains on the descent, and to have stayed safe the whole climb.” This was Bianca’s second attempt at Everest. In 2025, she made the difficult decision to turn around just 400m from the summit due to dangerous winds. After spending 3 nights and almost 4 days in the death zone above 8,000m, both Bianca and her dad became unwell on the descent and made their way back down to Camp 2. But this year, she came back stronger and successfully reached the summit. An incredible achievement Bianca 👏