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?

Kraig Becker

8 thoughts on “Jordan Romero Summits Carstensz Pyramid”

  1. I think you make a good point Kraig. Why hurry ? The only reason to hurry I see is the following: lets say Jordan or Laura realize their challenge/dream around 14 years old. Well they'll probably hold the record for a while before someone younger makes it.

    We've seen recently the youngest sailor's record being beaten twice. The younger they are, the longer they'll last or maybe they'll set a limit no one will want to beat.

    Personally I'm not keen on records, it involves a challenge between humans and nature. I prefer to find new routes, i could say set a standard. It's just that for a world first you feel better and are proud of the work you've done, as it means you have answered many questions on how to do it.

    Colin, I'm jealous too in a way as Jordan has certainly seen a lot of nice landscapes at his own age while I climbed my first small mountain when I was 29. And my first and only 7summit's summit is Koscy, too easy you can do it in a wheelchair ! Took me 2h30 to run up and down (before the close of the ski-lift)

    But as you know, it's up only to us to do things, taking control of our lives and making choices and some sacrifices.

  2. Well said Lou-Phi, and I agree. It should be more about the route and the adventure, and less about going after some record. It seems like a lot of these adventures revolve around some kind of record these days though.

    Personally, I'm for adventure for adventures sake! 🙂

  3. Fantastic! What an inspiration!
    Mountaineering's history is filled with the "firsts" of this and that, but hidden behind many "firsts" is the teamwork that's involved. If you can't trust your team members with your life (and nowadays competition can be fierce), then going solo may be preferable.

    Breaking a record is great, but the real challenge is within ourselves. I've summited (what some would consider) "itty bitty" mountains in my life. But to me those summits were life changing. It changed my perspective and outlook on life, and I gained a deeper knowledge of myself. It's a gift no one can take from me and no one can challenge.

    It also gave me an "adventure jones". An incurable desire to discover more about myself and the world. 😉

  4. Really beautiful story, but what happens when he manages to tackle those mountains? Will there remain challenges and goals to this lad? I sincerely hope it…

  5. I've thought about that too. Where does he go from here. I guess he attempts the Adventure Grand Slam by going after both Poles as well, or he moves on to the other 8000m peaks. There are plenty of challenges out there I suppose.

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