KUALA LUMPUR: Fear does not exist in Yashodev Yash Ganasan's vocabulary.
At 15, he has conquered Mount Kilimanjaro, perhaps making him the youngest Malaysian to reach the peak of the tallest mountain in Africa at 5,895m.
He and his family, who also share the same interest, successfully climbed to the top of Kilimanjaro in January, a struggle that took them eight days.
"It was my own decision," said Yashodev, who jumped at the opportunity when his parents asked him if he wanted to do it.
Yashodev already lists some extreme sports among the things he has done, including kayaking and cave exploration.
Climbing Kilimanjaro is only the latest thing he can cross of his checklist.
To prepare for the unpredictable climate shift, climbers are given two days to adjust to the altitude.
In order to capture the sunrise at dawn, the family set out on a hike utilising the Lemosho Trail around midnight.
They trekked nonstop for eight hours despite the minus 28 degree Celsius weather.
"We couldn't believe it. We were up in the clouds," said his mother, Logeswari Shanmugam, of the moment they reached the top.
Yashodev's father Ganasan Arumugam said he is now hopeful that the Malaysian government will recognise his son's success so as to be a motivating factor for the young to pursue their dreams.