Youngest boy to climb Everest hopes trip to top of the world inspires big dreams in others

Youngest Everest climber wants others to ‘go big’

BEIJING — For Jordan Romero, the 13-year-old American who became the youngest climber to summit Mount Everest, it all began with the desire to dream big.

The eighth grader from California said that he first came up with the idea to climb the highest peaks on all seven continents four years ago. On Saturday, he reached the top of the world’s highest mountain — and nearly completed his quest.

“The record is one thing, but standing on top of the world is just the best feeling you could ever imagine,” he said in an interview Monday by satellite phone from the 21,320-foot (6,500-meter) Advanced Base Camp where his team was resting on its way down.

Two days earlier, Jordan had succeeded in scaling the 29,035-foot (8,850-meter) peak, accompanied by a team that included his father, his father’s girlfriend and three Sherpa guides. Before him, the youngest climber to scale Everest had been Temba Tsheri of Nepal, who reached the peak at age 16.

Jordan said he hoped his achievement would encourage young people worldwide to set their own big dreams and pursue them.

“I’m doing this to inspire other kids, hopefully across the world, to get outdoors and to set goals in life. I’m doing this to set an example for them,” he said.

His success means he remains just one climb away from his overall goal of reaching the highest peaks on all seven continents. The final peak is the 16,076-foot (4,900-meter) Vinson Massif in Antarctica, which he hopes to tackle at the end of the year.

The group, dubbed “Team Jordan,” had chosen to climb the technically more difficult northern side of Everest because the Chinese side has no age limits for climbers. The southern approach from Nepal requires climbers to be at least 16.

The climb had many tough moments, the teen said. At one point, the water bottles froze, and the team went without for liquids for 10 hours. The most difficult point came when he developed stomach cramps on the final ascent.

“It was the toughest part of the climb because I was thinking, ‘Man, I don’t know if I’ll make it ’cause this is the worst pain I had ever felt in my stomach.’ But when we approached the summit, it all just faded away. I just felt happiness,” he said.

When the group finally reached the top, Jordan recalled touching the colorful prayer flags draped at the peak before standing with his arms outstretched, yelling in exultation.

“I was so happy that all of us as a team, both my parents and all our Sherpas, had made it to the summit,” he said. “I was happy about that … that I had accomplished something so unbelievable. It was a feeling that will definitely be with me for the rest of my life.”

His next step was to call his mother, Leigh Anne Drake, who lives in California, with the news.

“The first thing I said was, ‘Mom, it’s your son calling from the top of the world.’ Right away, I heard on the other line just craziness going on,” he said.

Jordan credits a few good luck charms that he carried with him, including a rabbit’s foot, a Tibetan prayer necklace, a cross from his grandfather, and a pair of kangaroo testicles given by a good friend.

The curly haired teenager, from the ski town of Big Bear in California’s San Bernardino Mountains, said his parents have been supportive of his dream ever since he was inspired at age 9 by a mural at school that showed the highest mountains on the seven continents.

“That mural just fascinated me so much. My dad picked me up from school and I said, ‘Dad, I want to climb the seven summits,’ and that was it,” Jordan said.

His father, Paul Romero, a helicopter paramedic who is trained in high-altitude rescue, and his father’s girlfriend, Karen Lundgren, have trained him for top-level mountaineering. They reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, the first of the seven peaks, when Jordan was 10 years old.

Romero and Lundgren are both adventure racers who compete in weeklong endurance races that combine biking, climbing, mountaineering and paddling through wilderness areas.

“They are the most supportive parents ever. I do feel lucky for that. I don’t know if other parents would encourage their kids to go big. But that’s what I’m doing this for — to encourage kids who don’t have that, to go big and set goals in life,” Jordan said.

Romero said his goal has always been to help his son attain his dream, even as their quest raised questions about how young is too young to scale Everest, a mountain where harsh conditions have claimed the lives of dozens of climbers.

“It’s important to remember, this is all Jordan’s idea and Jordan brought us here. It’s definitely not about a dad dragging his kid to do these quests and do these mountains. That’s a hard thing for people to get their heads around,” he said. “People that know us … understand it very well. They can see into his eyes and understand how driven he is.”

Romero said his son’s achievement is already drawing incredible support and attention from the public.

“We can’t believe the e-mails and messages and responses we’re getting already on the mountain,” he said. “That’s really what drives Jordan and that’s what drives us.”

For the moment, the team is savoring its success and resting up before making their way back to Katmandu, Nepal, and eventually back home.

Jordan said he hopes to tackle the final peak in Antarctica by December or January. With this quest nearly finished, the teen already has his eyes on the next goal: He plans to climb the highest peaks in all 50 U.S. states.

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Online: www.jordanromero.com