Should Jordan Romero Climb Everest?

Backpacker Magazine has an interesting story and editorial asking the question Should 13-year-old Jordan Romero Climb Everest? This seems a fitting question, considering the young man is planning on making an attempt on the world's highest mountain next spring, which would cap his quest to become the youngest person to climb all the Seven Summits, assuming he knocks off Vinson on schedule later this year.

I've been following Jordan's climbs fairly closely these past couple of years, updating his progress every time he managed to summit another one of the seven, which consists of the tallest mountains on each of the continents. This story from Backpacker is great for introducing Jordan to anyone who hasn't been following him thus far however, and it talks about how he became captivated with the idea after seeing a mural of the Seven Summits at school. The article also emphasizes the parental support he has gotten from his dad, as well as other adults in his life too.

Backpacker also goes into the criticism that Jordan and his father, Paul, have had to endure. There are plenty of people who think it's just plain wrong for a child to be climbing these mountains, and that the teenager is at risk every time he goes up. They also accuse Paul of being the kind of dad that pushes his son into doing things that he doesn't necessarily want to do. Reading the story you can tell that the criticism has stung on more than one occasion.

The family has plenty of supporters as well however, and chief amongst them are mountaineers who have climbed with Jordan or spent time with him in camps on the five mountains he's already completed. Others say that if nothing else, the teenager has goals and aspirations, and he's not sitting on the couch playing video games like so many other kids.

All in all, this is a good story about a good kid, who happens to have very big dreams. Everything I've read or seen on Jordan seems to indicate that he is a level headed climber, wise beyond his years, with a great support system around him. You have to admire his determination and toughness, that much is certain.

And what do I think about a 13-year old climbing Everest? Personally, I don't think its a very good idea. The mountain is challenging enough at any age, and sending someone so young up there just seems like it's asking for trouble. The mountain is fraught with dangers, and a death on Everest is always tragic. It just seems like it would be even more so for a climber of this age.

That said, I feel like if anyone can do it at 13, it is probably Jordan. I also know that his family won't put him into a position where he'll be going up higher than he should. But, as I said when 13-year old Laura Dekker was planning on circumnavigating the globe solo, I'm against these kids doing these things to earn a "record" for being the youngest to accomplish something. And if it isn't about a record ,then why not wait a few years? The mountain will still be there when Jordan is 16 for instance, and that three years can make a big difference in his physical maturity.

Either way, I wish him the best of luck. To find out more about Jordan, check out his website at JordanRomero.com

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Book Review: Die Trying

In the world of mountaineering and adventure, the Seven Summits is one of the most sought after goals. In order to complete the challenge, a climber must successfully climb the tallest mountains on all seven continents. The list includes Kilimanjaro in Africa (19,340 feet), Aconcagua in South America (22,841 feet), Denali in North America (20,320 feet), Mt. Vinson in Antarctica (16,050 feet), Mt. Elbrus in Europe (18,442 feet), Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia (16,024), Mount Kosciuszko in Australia (7,310 feet), and of course Mt. Everest in Asia, the tallest mountain on the planet at 29,029 feet. Sharp eyed readers will have already noted that that was eight mountains and not seven. When the original list was put together by Dick Bass, the first man to climb all of the Seven Summits, he included just the continental mountains, and thus Kosciuszko in Australia was on the list. Later, the list was amended by Reinhold Messner to to included all of "Oceania" which then added Carstensz Pyramid to the list. Most climbers do both just to cover their bases.

The Seven Summits are the the central theme for the book Die Trying by Bo Parfet and Richard Buskin, which was released earlier this year. The book follows Parfet's quest to climb each of those mountains, as he goes on a journey of self discovery along the way.

Parfet does a competent job of telling his own story, starting as a young man who struggled with a learning disability, but over came that to go on graduate college and get a lucrative job on Wall Street. But in the midst of working many long hours, while constantly eating takeout, and slowly getting out of shape, Parfet decided he needed to put a little excitement into his life. So, he planned a trip to Tanzania to make the trek up Kilimanjaro. While in college he had done some climbing, and caught the bug, but he had never been up as high as he was on Kili, and when he reached the summit, it gave him a sense of accomplishment that ended up changing his life.

From there, Bo decided that he would move on Aconcagua, which other climbers told him was a nice test to see if he could handle even higher altitudes. At that time, he wasn't even considering the Seven Summits, just going on a mountain adventure that would get him out away from his desk and out of his office. Parfet became creative with his approach, even using his corporate ties to do fund raising for a variety of charities that would help get him to the places he wanted to go climbing in. Not only was he getting to climb mountains, he was doing some good along the way too.

Eventually mountaineering began to become a more important part of his life, and by the time he left for Denali, his third peak in the Seven Summits, he was in better shape, carrying more appropriate equipment, and had experience level had risen dramatically. After topping out successfully on that mountain, which is often seen as a warm-up for Everest, he began to think about completing the Seven Summits in earnest.

Overall, I enjoyed Die Trying, as it is a good read to familiarize yourself with the mountains that make up the Seven Summits, and learn the basics of mountaineering. Parfet does a good job of describing the conditions that are faced on each of the Summits, and explains the various approaches to climbing each of them as well. He also mixes in plenty of his own personality, giving the story a more accessible, personal approach. He comes across as a likable guy that you wouldn't mind sharing a camp fire with, swapping stories into the night.

But make no mistake, this book isn't amongst the all time great mountaineering books. It is a fun, light read, and if you're looking for something new for your bookshelf, then by all means, give this one a go, just don't expect Into Thin Air or even Dick Bass' own Seven Summits, which I preferred to this book, although it is a bit dated now. For a fun adventure story though, you could do a lot worse.

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Jordan Romero Summits Carstensz Pyramid

I've written about Jordan Romero in the past. He's the 13-year old who is attempting to become the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits, and the latest entry on his blog indicates that he is now one step closer to that goal.

Jordan is currently in Indonesia where the word is that he has successfully reached the summit of Carstensz Pyramid, the tallest peak in Oceania. In the process, the teenager also managed to set a new record as the youngest person to complete that technical climb and reach the top of the 16,023 foot mountain. He now has just Mt. Vinson in Antarctica and Everest in Asia to complete the Seven Summits.

The current record for the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits is held by Johnny Strange, who finished his quest this past spring by topping out on Everest. Johnny is 17 years old, so obviously Jordan has a few years working in his favor to catch him. Despite that, his website says that he hopes to finish off the two remaining peaks within the next year, presumably going for Vinson in the December/January timeframe and then turning towards Everest in the spring.

The Seven Summits represent the highest mountains on the seven continents, and over the past 25 years or so have become one of the landmark achievements for outdoor adventure. The list has actually grown to include 8 mountains, as Mount Kosciuszko, the tallest point in Australia, has been supplanted with the much more challenging, and taller, Carstensz, but most of the Seven Summiteers do both, just to cover their bases. Besides those two, Vinson and Everest, the list includes the following: Mt. Elbrus (Europe), Denali (North America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), and Aconcagua (South America).

I know we recently had some discussion around here regarding Laura Dekker and her plans to sail solo around the world at the age of 13, and now we have another 13-year old who is planning on tackling Everest next year. The difference between these two is vast however, as Jordan won't be making his Everest attempt alone, and his father, who goes with him on every climb, happens to be a high altitude medical specialist. That said, I'll still say that Everest isn't the best place for a 13-year old kid. I know they'll use sound judgement in their approach, but much like Laura, I think it would be okay for them to wait a few years before making the attempt. After all, what is the hurry?

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Photo Gallery of the Seven Summits

Allie over at the Sierra Blogging Post came across a very cool gallery of photos from the Seven Summits, courtesy of Environmental Graffiti. The shots are purported to be from the summits, but in at least some of the cases that doesn't seem to be the true. None the less they are some stunning shots of these wonderfully iconic mountains.

The article that accompanies the photos does a solid job of explaining the concept of the Seven Summits, even though it calls them "the seven highest peaks on Earth" at the beginning of the article. We all know that's not the case, and the text further down the page corrects the error, and they do list the actual highest peaks at the very end. They also do an admirable job of laying out the whole Carstensz Pyramid vs. Kosciusko debate as well, but the bottom line is that it's just a nice gallery of photos that I though you might enjoy.

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Outside Interviews Jordan Romero

I'm not sure why Jordan Romero is suddenly getting a lot of press, but the kid seems to be everywhere in recent days. I first wrote about him way back in December of 2006 when he climbed Kilimanjaro, but now that he's got his sights firmly set on the Seven Summits, he seems to be on a press tour or something.

The latest blog to write on Jordan is over at Outside Online where they interview the 12-year old as he prepares to go for his final three mountains in his Seven Summits quest. Having already taken care of Denali, Elbrus, Aconcagua, and Kosciuszko, in addition to Kili, that leaves him with just Carstensz Pyramid, Vinson, and Everest.

The interview notes that Jordan still needs to raise about $180,000 to complete these last three climbs, the bulk of which will go to Everest and Vinson. In order to raise the money, Jordan sells t-shirts and was recently awarded a Polartec Grant to help him in his quest.

You've got to hand it to the kid, he's very dedicated to achieving his goal of becoming the youngest person to ever climb the Seven Summits, and he seems to really love being in the mountains. If he does indeed achieve his dream by the age of 14 as the interview suggests, how does he follow that up with an encore? More 8000m peaks? By the way, he has until he's 18 to actually break the current record, so six years to claim the three remaining mountains.

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Around-n-Over: Circumnavigating Under Human Power

Circumnavigating the globe has always been a challenging endeavor for any adventurer. It a long and arduous journey no matter how you approach it. To circle the globe using nothing but your own power puts that journey into a completely different class altogether. It demands even more stamina, concentration, dedication, and heart. But that's not stopping Erden Eruç from Around-n-Over.org who have already undertaken that challenge.

Not only is he circumnavigating the globe under his own power, but he also intend to summit the six highest mountains on the six continents he'll pass through along the way. Hence the "Around", as in the World, and the "Over", in this case the mountains. The plan is to complete the project in stages. Back in 2003 he rode his bike from Seattle to Alaska, where he climbed Denali. You can find out more about this first stage by clicking here.

The second stage of the journey (details here) is a mixed land and sea leg. The land portion was completed back in 2004 with an 82-day bike ride from Miami to Seattle. In 2007, this stage continued with a second land leg from Seattle to Bodega Bay in California. From their, a the first sea leg began in July and continues now with Erden rowing his way to Australia, a journey of some 6700 nautical miles. Upon arrival to Australia, it is his intent to bike to Mt. Kosciuszko, the tallest mountain on that continent.

Obviously a project of this nature requires a lot of funding and planning, which is why it's been spread out over several years already. At the official website you can learn more about the team behind the project, read dispatches from the road and track Erden's progress, as well as take a sneak peek at his intended route as he continues this circumnavigation. Eventually he'll summit Everest, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, and Aconcagua on his way around. The only one of the Seven Summits to get left out his Mt. Vinson in Antarctica.

As I write this, Erden is halfway across the Pacific Ocean and slowly, but surely, working his way toward Australia. He has a long way to go on this journey, and obviously it won't be an easy one. But then again, the most rewarding journeys seldom are. I'll continue to keep tabs on his progress and post updates as he reaches milestones along the way. It should certainly be a fun adventure to watch unfold.

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Nicki's Back In BC After Carstensz Summit!

Yesterday I noted that Nicki Branch was currently on Carstensz Pyramid as she worked towards her next goal of achieving the Seven Summits. She was projected to be going for the summit yesterday, but there had been no word on her progress.

Today, her blog has been updated with word that she did indeed top out on The Pyramid yesterday, after a long 16 hour climb that involved a treacherous Tyrolean Traverse over a large gap. The update is rather brief, but from the wording it sounds like this was a tough day on the mountain, but thankfully everything went well, and the whole team is now back in BC, safe and sound.

With Carstensz out of the way, she now has five of the Seven Summits down, having already knocked off Kili, Aconcagua, Denali, and Elbrus. From the looks of her plans, she'll next head to Australia and hike up Kosciuszko, so that she'll have both version of the Seven Summits covered. Then it's on to Vinson in December, and Everest next Spring.

Congrats on the latest peak Nicki. You're in inspiration to us all. Have fun down under!

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