Jordan Romero (born July 12, 1996[1]) is an U.S. mountain climber who, on May 22, 2010, became the youngest person to climb Mount Everest. He was 13 when he reached the summit.[2] Romero was accompanied by his father Paul Romero, his father's girlfriend Karen Lundgren, and three Sherpas called Ang, Dawa and Kharma.[3] 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.[4] The previous record for youngest to climb Everest was held by Temba Tsheri of Nepal who was 16 years and 14 days old when he reached the summit in 2001.[5]
Concerns about the climb edit
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."[6] Since Nepal doesn't issue climbing licenses to individuals below 16 years of age, Romero had to climb from the Tibet side.
Historic climb edit
Prior to climbing Everest, Romero had conquered six notable peaks in his desire to scale the tallest peaks on the seven continents.[7] He had never ascend a peak higher 26,240 feet and was aware of the dangers.[7] His group chose a northern route out of Tibet and carried a GPS tracking device and satellite phone.[8][9][10] Along the way to the top, Romero conducted an interview from an intermediate base camp 18,700 feet above sea level.[11] Upon reaching Mount Everest's summit, a Skype interview was accomplished.[8] Romero also called his mother, who had been recieving GPS data, via the satellite phone upon finishing the ascent.[9]
Previous climbs edit
He has previously climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (at the age of 10), Mount Elbrus in Russia, Aconcagua in Argentina, Mount McKinley in Alaska, and the Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia.[6]
Personal life edit
Romero currently lives in Big Bear, California.[11][8] He was born to Paul Romero and Leigh Anne Drake.[8][9]
References edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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) - ^ "US boy Jordan Romero, 13, in Mount Everest bid". BBC. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ a b 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) - ^ 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.
- ^ 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 c "Jordan Romero, 13, summits Everest: How young is too young?". The Christian Science Monitor. CSMonitor.com. 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.
- ^ a b Ferran, Lee (April 21, 2010). "Jordan Romero 13-Year-Old Climber Tackles Mount Everest". ABC News (GMA). Retrieved 29 May 2010.
External links edit
Category:1996 births Category:American summiters of Mount Everest Category:Living people