On May 21 2010, Jordan Romero, a Big Bear Middle School eighth-grader, became the youngest person ever to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Now, his sights are set on Antarctica.
His quest for the 7 Summits began in 2005, when he observed a wall mural of the world’s highest peaks at his Lucerne Valley elementary school. Jordan mentioned his desire to climb the 7 Summits to his father, who was both surprised and supportive. Together with his father and step-mom, Jordan began researching the 7 Summits and training for his quest.
The 7 Summits are the highest peaks on each continent. The list was first populated by mountaineer Richard Bass, but a different list was complied by Reinhold Messner. Depending on how you choose to define the boundaries of Australia, the highest peak in this region is either Carstensz Pyramid or Kosciuszko. Jordan decided to climb all 8 peaks from both lists.
He climbed his first peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro, at the age of 10, becoming the youngest American to reach the summit and the youngest person ever to reach the top via the Umbwe route. From there, Jordan has continued his quest, climbing 7 out of 8 summits.
Africa - Kilimanjaro – July 22, 2006
Australia - Kosciuszko – April, 2007
Europe/Russia - Elbrus – July 11, 2007
South America - Aconcagua – December 30, 2007
North America - Denali – June 18, 2008
Oceania - Carstensz Pyramid – September 1, 2009
Asia - Everest - May 21, 2010
Last on the list is Antarctica’s Mt. Vinson. His team was unable to pull it together in ‘10 due to some major age barriers, so his sights are now set on December ‘11.
Check out Jordan’s blog for updates on his quest for the final summit.
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