Eight-year-old Nia Avdić becomes the youngest from BiH to conquer North Africa's highest peak

(Patria) - Passion and love for nature, a sporting spirit, adrenaline and excitement brought Naida, Aldin and eight-year-old Nia, in the truest sense of the word, to one of the roofs of the world.
 
The three-member family from Sarajevo is known as passionate lovers of sports and pushing boundaries, and they crossed one such boundary this May when they conquered the highest mountain peak in North Africa.
 
It was a feat with which the Avdić family, in their own way, wrote pages in the history of climbing in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the African continent, because Nia, at just eight years old, according to official data, became the youngest citizen of BiH to successfully climb the 4,167-meter-high peak of Toubkal in Morocco.
 
"The ascent of Mount Toubkal usually takes three days. We managed to complete this climb in two days. Everything went according to plan, without any unforeseen situations. On the first day, we went from the base village at 1,800 meters to 3,200 meters. We slept in a tent at that location, and then around four in the morning we set off towards the summit itself. The summit is at 4,167 meters and we reached it sometime around seven o'clock. Usually, after reaching the summit, people return to the hut at 3,200 meters and sleep, then return to the village. However, we immediately returned to the starting point, and then went to Marrakech, which is actually the central city from which everything starts," says Adin Avdić, who together with his wife Naida has many years of experience climbing some of the highest peaks.
 
Still, in Morocco, the main star was eight-year-old Nia. The girl, who has shown talent for sports, swimming, gymnastics, and karate since an early age, aroused the admiration of everyone on the "black continent."
 


"People were truly delighted, they gave her support, and we as parents are proud. Nia is the youngest person from Bosnia and Herzegovina to climb Mount Toubkal and certainly one of the youngest in the world since this peak cannot be climbed without a permit from an agency, i.e., the Moroccan government. Namely, tourist agencies that organize climbs are obliged to register all climbers; this was introduced by the government to reduce the number of accidents," points out mother Naida, who two years ago became the first woman from BiH to climb Ama Dablam.
 
The Avdić couple also have the highest peak in Europe, Elbrus, in their treasury of feats, and they are already making plans for new successes together with their successor.
 
"The goal for this year is for Nia to conquer all the peaks of the Balkans. She has already been to Triglav, Maglić, the highest peak in Bulgaria – Musala, in Croatia on Dinara… Now it's the turn of Serbia, Albania, Romania, Greece…," explained Aldin Avdić, and announced that the long-term plan is Mount Everest.