Four young climbers aged between 10 and 11 from the northwestern province of Bursa have put their training to the test by taking on challenging routes in the Aladağlar range of the central Taurus Mountains.
Hüseyin Yılmaz, Ela Nur Dalgıç, Rümeysa Aytaç, and Eymen Uğur developed their interest in climbing after a local climbing club visited their school located in the İznik district.
The students, who have been training for three years, traveled to the central province of Niğde during summer vacation to go climbing in the Aladağlar Mountains, accompanied by their coach, Mustafa Aksoy.
Setting out on August 29–September 4 on a challenging route in the Aladağlar Mountains, the athletes reached an elevation of 3,350 meters along the summit ridge of Küçük Demirkazık Mountain, which stands at 3,425 meters and features technical terrain.
Due to unfavorable weather conditions, the team called off their summit attempt and headed for Davlumbaz Peak, which is accessible from the same campsite. With one athlete feeling unwell, the team continued with three members and reached the 3,587-meter-high summit.
Mustafa Aksoy, a Level 2 mountaineering coach with 20 years of experience in swimming and climbing, noted that the students completed their first technical mountain climbs through disciplined, long-term training. He added that despite being new to mountaineering, the children have already won awards in sport climbing.
“Through the rigorous training our students received, we provided them with their first experience on the slopes of Mount Küçük Demirkazık,” Aksoy added. “Although adverse weather conditions prevented us from reaching the summit, we carried out a successful expedition. Looking ahead, our goals extend beyond reaching the summit of the Küçük Demirkazık. We aim to introduce more young athletes to mountaineering and take them to various other mountains and further advance their skills.”
