Belle Property supports the youngest Australian to climb Everest.

19-year-old Gabby Kanizay from Melbourne made national headlines earlier this month when she became the youngest Australian to climb Everest, with her journey to the 8,849m peak sponsored by summit partner Belle Property Brighton in conjunction with Mountain Designs.

Led by Director Sam Inan, Belle Property Brighton is a strong supporter of local community causes, particularly those making a meaningful difference to people’s lives. They have supported the local surf lifesaving club for many years, and when the team heard about Gabby’s Everest ambitions they were intrigued.

“We met Gabby and her family, who have lived in our area for a long time, through a property transaction, and were immediately struck by Gabby’s energy and enthusiasm.

“We were impressed by her goal to summit Everest, which would make her the youngest Australian to do so if she succeeded. When we discovered the cost of summiting could reach upwards of $50,000, we decided to support Gabby’s climbing ambitions with a financial contribution,” Sam explained.

After deciding aged only 14 to one day conquer Everest, Gabby then spent the next four years preparing. The journey has been a learning curve not just for Gabby and her mother Jane, who accompanied her to the summit, but also for the team at Belle Brighton watching from the sidelines.

“We’ve learnt so much about what it takes to climb the world’s largest mountain through partnering with Gabby, especially the massive amounts of preparation required, such as the rigorous high-altitude training to help cope with lower oxygen levels,” Sam explains.

“Summiting isn’t a straightforward or quick process. In the few weeks leading up to it, Gabby climbed to the various camps on Everest and then back down again several times in an effort to acclimatise before the final climb.”

Thankfully all the hard work paid off, with Gabby and her mother reaching the top of Everest on 14 May. But there was no downing crampons for Gabby. With an ambition to summit all the world’s 14 peaks above 8000 metres, the next day she went on to climb adjacent peak Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest at 8516m.

Having already climbed Cho Oyu, the sixth-highest peak at 8201-metres (at age 16 she was the youngest woman to ever summit) she has now conquered three of the peaks over 8,000 metres.

“We are so honoured and excited to have played a role in helping Gabby become the youngest Aussie to climb Everest, and we can’t wait to see what she does next. She is an inspiration to believe in yourself and your abilities, no matter your age or how ambitious your goal,” Sam concluded.