{{Short description|American mountain climber (born 1996)}} {{Infobox person | name = Jordan Romero | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|7|12}} | birth_place = Redlands, California, U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rightcelebrity.com/?p=8982|title=Jordan Romero: Mt. Everest's Youngest Climber|access-date=21 June 2010|date=22 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527022015/http://www.rightcelebrity.com/?p=8982|archive-date=27 May 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> | other_names = | known_for = Youngest person to climb Mount Everest | occupation = Mountain climber | years_active = 2006–present }} '''Jordan Romero''' (born July 12, 1996)<ref>[http://www.pitchengine.com/sole/twelveyearold-mountaineer-jordan-romero-to-be-featured-on-abc-nightline-tonight-thursday-sept25/572/ www.pitchengine.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721005311/http://www.pitchengine.com/sole/twelveyearold-mountaineer-jordan-romero-to-be-featured-on-abc-nightline-tonight-thursday-sept25/572/ |date=2011-07-21 }}</ref> is an American mountaineer who was 13 years old when he reached the summit of Mount Everest. Romero was accompanied by his father, Paul Romero, his step-mother, Karen Lundgren, and three Sherpas, Ang Pasang Sherpa, Lama Dawa Sherpa, and Lama Karma Sherpa.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.jordanromero.com/about/ | publisher = Jordan Romero Official Website | title = My Dream to Climb the 7 Summits | access-date = 22 May 2010 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100413084251/http://www.jordanromero.com/about | archive-date = 13 April 2010 }}</ref> 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 on May 22, 2003.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/may/25/everest.nepal | newspaper = The Observer | title = Teenage girl conquers Everest, 50 years on | access-date = 4 Feb 2011 | date = 25 May 2003 }}</ref>
Romero 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McMahon |first=Glenn |date=2010-05-21 |title=Californian boy, 13, closes in on Everest conquest |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/may/21/everest-jordan-romero-13 |access-date=2025-10-29 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Upon climbing Vinson Massif in December 2011 at the age of 15 years, 5 months, 12 days, Romero became the youngest person in the world to complete the Seven Summits (highest mountains on each of the continents), a title previously held by George Atkinson. After this experience, Romero wrote a novel for children called ''No Summit Out of Sight''.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.nu.nl/opmerkelijk/2701656/amerikaanse-tiener-beklimt-zeven-hoogste-bergen.html | publisher = Novum | title = Amerikaanse tiener beklimt zeven hoogste bergen | access-date = 25 December 2011 | date = 25 December 2011 }}</ref>
==Mountains climbed == {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="6" style="background: Light Steel Blue;"|Noted summits Romero has climbed<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/13-year-old-reaches-top-of-mt-everest/|title=13-Year-Old Reaches Top of Mt. Everest|website=CBS News|date=22 May 2010 }}</ref> |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Summits ! Country ! Continent ! Elevation ft ! Elevation m |- | July 2006 | Mount Kilimanjaro | Tanzania | Africa | 19,820 | 5,892 |- | April 2007 | Mount Kosciuszko | Australia | Australia | 7,310 | 2,228 |- | July 2007 | Mount Elbrus | Russia | Europe | 18,510 | 5,642 |- | December 2007 | Aconcagua | Argentina | South America | 22,841 | 6,962 |- | June 2008 | Denali | United States (Alaska) | North America | 20,320 | 6,194 |- | September 2009 | Mount Carstensz Pyramid | Indonesia (New Guinea) | Oceania | 16,024 | 4,884 |- | May 2010 | Mount Everest | Nepal - China | Asia | 29,029 | 8,848 |- | December 2011 | Vinson Massif | N/A | Antarctica | 16,050 | 4,892 |}
[[File:Map of USA elevations.png|thumb|State high points are shown as red circles. Low points are shown with green squares, except in states whose lowest elevation spans coastlines or lake shores (the Great Lakes or Lake Champlain).(See also List of U.S. states by elevation)]]
Romero is now trying to climb the highest point in each of the 50 US states.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}<ref name="theacorn.com">[http://www.theacorn.com/news/2014-05-15/Community/Youngest_climber_of_the_Seven_Summits_to_speak_in_.html The Acorn - Youngest climber of the Seven Summits to speak in T.O.]</ref> He had already climbed Denali in June 2008.<ref name="theacorn.com"/> (see also Peak bagging (Climbing list))
{| class="wikitable" ! colspan="6" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|The "50 US States Summits" Romero has climbed |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Summits ! State ! Elevation ft ! Elevation m ! Notes |- | June 2008 | Denali | Alaska | 20,320 | 6,194 | <ref>[http://adventuresportsjournal.com/lessons-from-everest/ Lessons From Everest]</ref> |- | August 2012 | Kings Peak | Utah | 13,286 | 4,123 | <ref name="wizzley.com">[https://wizzley.com/book-review-of-no-summit-out-of-sight-jordan-romero-and-the-climbing-of-the-eight-highest-mountains/ Book Review of No Summit Out of Sight: Jordan Romero and the Climbing of the Eight Highest Mountains]</ref> |- | 2012 | Mount Mansfield | Vermont | 4,393 | 1,338.99 | <ref name="wizzley.com"/> |- | 2012 | Mount Washington | New Hampshire | 6,288 | 1,916.58 | <ref name="wizzley.com"/> |- | 2012 | Mount Katahdin | Maine | 5,269 | 1,605.99 | <ref name="wizzley.com"/> |}
==Personal life== Romero grew up in Big Bear Lake, California, and currently resides in Portland, Oregon.<ref name="abcnewsgo042110" /><ref name="kbhr933052510" /> He was born to Paul Romero and Leigh Anne Drake.<ref name="kbhr933052510" /><ref name="csmonitor052810">{{cite journal|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0523/Jordan-Romero-13-summits-Everest-How-young-is-too-young|title=Jordan Romero, 13, summits Everest: How young is too young?|journal=The Christian Science Monitor|date=23 May 2010|publisher=CSMonitor.com|access-date=29 May 2010}}</ref>
==Historic climb== {{wikinews|California boy, 13, youngest to conquer Everest}} {{Main|Mountaineering|Glossary of climbing terms}} Prior to climbing Everest, Romero had already climbed five of the seven highest peaks in the world in his desire to scale the tallest peaks on the seven continents (counting two for Oceania). He finished the seven summits with Mount Vinson in Antarctica at age 15.<ref name="nydailynews.com041210">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/04/12/2010-04-12_13yearold_jordan_romero_sets_out_to_become_youngest_climber_to_scale_mount_evere.html|title=13-year-old Jordan Romero sets out to become youngest climber to scale Mount Everest|last=Gaskell|first=Gaskell|date=April 12, 2010|work=Daily News|access-date=29 May 2010}}</ref> Before climbing Everest, Romero's highest peak was Aconcagua, {{convert|6,962|m|ft|abbr=on}} in elevation.<ref name="nydailynews.com041210" /> His group chose a northern route out of Tibet and carried a GPS tracking device and satellite phone.<ref name="kbhr933052510" /><ref name="csmonitor052810" /><ref name="latimes052910">{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2010/05/big-bears-jordan-romero-becomes-youngest-person-to-scale-mt-everest.html|title=Big Bear Lake's Jordan Romero, 13, becomes youngest person to scale Mt. Everest|date=May 21, 2010|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=29 May 2010}}</ref> Along the way to the top, Romero conducted an interview from an intermediate base camp 18,700 feet above sea level.<ref name="abcnewsgo042110">{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Dreams/13-year-jordan-romero-tackles-mount-everest-feeling/story?id=10434336|title=Jordan Romero 13-Year-Old Climber Tackles Mount Everest|last=Ferran|first=Lee|date=April 21, 2010|publisher=ABC News (GMA)|access-date=29 May 2010}}</ref> Upon reaching Mount Everest's summit, a Skype interview was accomplished<ref name="kbhr933052510">{{cite web|url=http://kbhr933.com/interest/jordan-romero/|title=Jordan Romero Says of Everest: "It Was Totally Worth It"; Jordan, Paul and Karen Begin the Journey Back to Big Bear|last=Sandstrom|first=Catherine|date=May 25, 2010|work=Big Bear News KBHR 93.3|access-date=29 May 2010}}</ref> and Romero also called his mother, who had been following the climb on a map which included GPS coordinates, pictures and video.
==Criticism== Before he climbed Mount Everest, there was some criticism over whether a 13-year-old boy 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."<ref name="Barkham">{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/12/should-teenager-climbing-mount-everest | newspaper = The Guardian | title = Should a teenager be climbing Mount Everest?| access-date = 22 May 2010 | date = 12 April 2010 |last = Barkham| first= Patrick}}</ref> Because Nepal does not issue permits to people under 16 years of age, Romero and his team decided to climb from the Tibet side.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Goldberg|first1=Alan|last2=Schnee|first2=Steve|date=3 June 2010|title=Teen Climber: Too Young to Scale Mt. Everest?|url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/jordan-romero-teen-climber-young-face-mt-everest/story?id=10817732|access-date=2021-07-04|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref> 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 who reach the top.<ref>http://www.thebmc.co.uk/News.aspx?id=3747 New Chinese restrictions for Everest</ref>
==Book== After Romero climbed Mount Everest, he and Katherine Blanc wrote a book ''The Boy Who Conquered Everest: The Jordan Romero Story''.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Boy Who Conquered Everest: The Jordan Romero Story |isbn=978-1401931179 |last1=Blanc |first1=Katherine |last2=Romero |first2=Jordan |date=2010 |publisher=Balboa Press }}</ref> At the end of 2014 Romero with Linda LeBlanc wrote another book ''No Summit out of Sight: The story of Jordan Romero ''.<ref name="theacorn.com"/><ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.simonandschuster.com/No-Summit-out-of-Sight/Jordan-Romero/9781476709628|title=No Summit out of Sight|date=6 May 2014 |isbn=9781476709628 |last1=Romero |first1=Jordan |publisher=Simon and Schuster }}</ref>
==See also== *Matt Moniz, did 50 State Summits in 43 days with his father *Malavath Purna, summited Mount Everest at age 13 *Tyler Armstrong, youngest person to climb Aconcagua in Argentina at the age of 9
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100523001222/http://www.jordanromero.com/ Official website] * [https://www.flickr.com/photos/teamjordanoneverest/sets/ Flickr] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L45dIiimOqQ/ XDance Film] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100723055811/http://www.boywhoconqueredeverest.com/ Children's book: The Boy Who Conquered Everest]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Romero, Jordan}} Category:1996 births Category:Living people Category:American mountain climbers Category:American summiteers of Mount Everest Category:Summiteers of the Seven Summits Category:Sportspeople from San Bernardino County, California Category:Writers from California Category:People from Redlands, California Category:Sportspeople from Salt Lake City Category:People from Big Bear Lake, California Category:Youth record holders Category:21st-century American male writers