In December 2023, Emma Demopoulos, then aged just 12, became the youngest person from Hong Kong to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa’s highest peak.
At 5,895 metres (19,341 feet), Kilimanjaro is considered an extreme altitude mountain trek. Emma completed the climb with her father in eight days: six days up, and two days down.
While those tackling the world’s highest free-standing mountain do not require technical climbing skills, they do need a healthy average fitness level to reach the summit.
An “outdoorsy person”, Emma takes part in many sports that keep her fit, including tennis and running cross country.
“I once met Annabelle and told her that we were planning to climb Kilimanjaro, and she said that was a great start, and I was really excited about that,” says Emma.
