Nepal requires climbers to be at least 16 years old to scale its peaks, but Poorna said she and a team of Nepalese guides climbed the 29,035-foot mountain on May 25 from the northern side in Tibet. There are no age restrictions in China.
"It was very difficult. Every step is a dangerous step," a smiling Poorna told reporters in New Delhi, describing steep slopes, exposed rocks, deep crevasses and extreme cold that went below minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
At 10,830 feet, she said she saw "six dead bodies. I was shocked. Oh my god I got some fear."
But she remembered her training and regained her confidence.
"When I reached the top of Everest, very good experience. I feel great and proud, and I shed joyful tears" as she looked around and saw "mighty mountains and morning sunlight," she said in English, waving her hands expressively as she spoke.
The climb was verified by the China Tibet Mountaineering Association in Lhasa, making Malavath the youngest girl to climb Everest.
