Jordan Romero
Jordan Romero | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jordan David Romero July 12, 1996 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Mountain climber |
| Years active | 2006 – present |
| Parent(s) | Leigh Anne Drake Paul Romero |
| Website | http://www.jordanromero.com/ |
Jordan David Romero (born July 12, 1996[2]) is an American mountain climber who, on May 22, 2010, became the youngest person to climb Mount Everest. He was 13 years 10 months 10 days old when he reached the summit.[3] Romero was accompanied by his father Paul Romero, his father's girlfriend Karen Lundgren, and three Sherpas, Ang Pasang Sherpa, Lama Dawa Sherpa, and Lama Karma Sherpa.[4] The previous record for youngest to climb Everest was held by Ming Kipa of Nepal who was 15 years old when she reached the summit in 2003.[5] He was inspired to climb the tallest mountains of each continent when he saw a painting in the hallway of his school that had the seven continents' highest mountains.[6] He climbed the Vinson Massif in December 2011, breaking the record of George Atkinson being the youngest climber in the world to complete the Seven Summits, at the age of 15 years, 5 months, 12 days.[7] It is likely that, barring changes in national policies, Romero's record will remain unbeaten, as Nepal does not issue licences for under-16s to climb Everest, and subsequent to Romero's ascent China introduced similar restrictions on the Tibetan side.
| The "Seven Summits" Romero has climbed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Summits | Country | Continent | Elevation ft | Elevation m |
| Mount Kilimanjaro | Tanzania | Africa | 19,340 | 5,892 | |
| Mount Elbrus | Russia | Europe | 18,510 | 5,642 | |
| Mount Aconcagua | Argentina | South America | 22,841 | 6,962 | |
| Mount McKinley | United States | North America | 20,320 | 6,194 | |
| Mount Carstensz Pyramid | Indonesia | Australia/Oceania | 16,024 | 4,884 | |
| Mount Everest | Nepal, China | Asia | 29,029 | 8,848 | |
| Vinson Massif | Antarctica | Antarctica | 16,050 ft | 4,892 | |
Personal life
Romero currently lives in Big Bear Lake, California.[8][9] He was born to Paul Romero and Leigh Anne Drake.[9][10]
Historic Climb
Prior to climbing Everest, Romero had conquered six "highest" peaks in his desire to scale the tallest peaks on the seven continents (counting two for Oceania).[11] Before climbing Everest, Jordan's highest peak was Mount Aconcagua, 6,962 m (22,841 ft) in elevation.[11] His group chose a northern route out of Tibet and carried a GPS tracking device and satellite phone.[9][10][12] Along the way to the top, Romero conducted an interview from an intermediate base camp 18,700 feet above sea level.[8] Upon reaching Mount Everest's summit, a Skype interview was accomplished.[9] Upon reaching the top of Everest, Romero also called his mother, who had been following the climb on a map which included GPS coordinates, pictures and video.
Concerns about the Climb
Before he climbed Mount Everest, there was some criticism over whether a teenager should be allowed to attempt this. David Hillebrandt, medical adviser to the British Mountaineering Council, questioned whether Romero was mentally mature enough and then went on to say, "It is totally against the spirit of true mountaineering. This sounds like it's about mass marketing, money and it's verging on child abuse. Nowadays, people are effectively being winched up (the mountains), using ropes that Sherpas have put in for them. It will all be done for him (Romero). He's a token passenger."[13] Since Nepal doesn't issue climbing licenses to individuals below 16 years of age, Romero had to climb from the Tibet side. On June 10, 2010, the Lhasa-based Chinese Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA), the official channel through which climbers must apply for permission to attempt peaks in Tibet, announced future age restrictions for all those attempting Everest from the north.[14]
Book
After Jordan climbed Mount Everest he and Katherine Blanc wrote a book "The Boy Who Conquered Everest: The Jordan Romero Story". The book is a visual journey through Jordan's quest, there are pictures of everything from Team Jordan training and base camps to finally standing on the summit of Mt. Everest. There are also inspirational messages and tips on goal-setting from Jordan. He later appeared on a Disney Channel commercial that tells us about the climb and his other climbs.[15]
References
- ^ "Jordan Romero: Mt. Everest's Youngest Climber". 22 May 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- ^ www.pitchengine.com
- ^ "Jordan Romero, 13, 'becomes youngest to scale Everest'". BBC. 22 May 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "My Dream to Climb the 7 Summits". Jordan Romero Official Website. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Teenage girl conquers Everest, 50 years on". The Observer. 25 May 2003. Retrieved 4 Feb 2011.
- ^ "American boy, 13, bidding to become youngest person to conquer Everest". Daily Mail. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Amerikaanse tiener beklimt zeven hoogste bergen". Novum. 25 December 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Ferran, Lee (April 21, 2010). "Jordan Romero 13-Year-Old Climber Tackles Mount Everest". ABC News (GMA). Retrieved 29 May 2010.
- ^ a b c d Sandstrom, Catherine (May 25, 2010). "Jordan Romero Says of Everest: "It Was Totally Worth It"; Jordan, Paul and Karen Begin the Journey Back to Big Bear". Big Bear News KBHR 93.3. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Jordan Romero, 13, summits Everest: How young is too young?". The Christian Science Monitor. CSMonitor.com. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
- ^ a b Gaskell, Gaskell (April 12, 2010). "13-year-old Jordan Romero sets out to become youngest climber to scale Mount Everest". Daily News. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
- ^ "Big Bear Lake's Jordan Romero, 13, becomes youngest person to scale Mt. Everest". Los Angeles Times. May 21, 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
- ^ Barkham, Patrick (12 April 2010). "Should a teenager be climbing Mount Everest?". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ http://www.thebmc.co.uk/News.aspx?id=3747 New Chinese restrictions for Everest
- ^ "The Boy Who Conquered Everest: The Jordan Romero Story".