Episode 9 · Jordan Romero, age 9 — Big Bear Lake, California
The Kid Who Stood on Top of the World
He saw a painting of seven mountains on a school hallway wall. Then he decided to climb every single one.
24 min listen · ages 8-10
The Kid Who Stood on Top of the World
Summary
When Jordan Romero was nine, he walked past a mural at his California elementary school showing the highest mountain on every continent. Most kids kept walking. Jordan went home and told his dad he wanted to climb them all. He trained by dragging tires and hiking with a weighted pack, slept in a low-oxygen tent, and summited mountain after mountain. At thirteen he stood on top of Mount Everest — the youngest person ever to do it — and at fifteen he finished all seven.
The Story
Big Bear Lake, California. Jordan Romero is nine years old, walking down a hallway at school, when he stops in front of a mural: the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents, painted side by side.
He goes home and tells his father, Paul, that he wants to climb all of them. Most parents would smile and change the subject. His father asked him how badly he wanted it.
The training was not glamorous. Long hikes with a heavy pack. Dragging tires up hills behind him. His first serious six-mile hike nearly broke him — he hated it and finished anyway. Later he slept in a tent that thinned the oxygen he breathed, so his body could learn to work with less of it.
At ten he stood on Kilimanjaro in Africa. At eleven, Aconcagua in Argentina, then Denali in Alaska. Then Elbrus in Russia and Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia. Each mountain was colder, higher and more serious than the last.
Then came Everest. Because of his age, Nepal wouldn't permit the climb, so the team went up the north side, from Tibet. Not everyone thought a thirteen-year-old belonged there, and plenty of people said so out loud.
On the mountain, an avalanche came down near the team. They kept going. Jordan climbed with his father and his stepmother, Karen Lundgren, and three Sherpa guides — Ang Pasang, Lama Dawa and Lama Karma.
On May 22, 2010, at thirteen years and ten months, Jordan stepped onto the summit of Mount Everest. He pulled out a satellite phone and called his mother back in California. 'Mom,' he said, 'I'm calling you from the top of the world.'
There was one mountain left: Mount Vinson, in Antarctica. On December 24, 2011, at fifteen, Jordan stood on top of it — the youngest person ever to complete the Seven Summits. He spent the years after telling kids to find their own Everest, whatever it happened to be.
Timeline
Age 9
Sees a mural of the Seven Summits at his elementary school and decides to climb all of them.
July 2006
Summits Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at age ten.
2007–2008
Aconcagua in Argentina, then Denali in Alaska, at eleven.
2009
Adds Elbrus in Russia and Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia.
May 22, 2010
Reaches the summit of Mount Everest from the Tibetan side at thirteen — the youngest ever — and phones his mother from the top.
December 24, 2011
Summits Mount Vinson in Antarctica at fifteen, completing the Seven Summits.
Key Takeaways
- ✓A big goal can start with something small you happened to notice.
- ✓Training is mostly the boring part, and the boring part is what gets you there.
- ✓You can listen to people who doubt you without letting them decide for you.
- ✓Everybody's Everest looks different.
Fun Facts
Photos & Field Notes
Sources
Jordan Romero with Linda LeBlanc, No Summit Out of Sight
Jordan's own account of the school mural, his training, early climbs, the avalanche and the Everest summit push.
Associated Press, Washington Post, CBS and ESPN (May 2010)
The Everest summit, the age record, the climbing team and the satellite-phone call to his mother.
CNN interview with Jordan Romero (December 2010)
His memory of the mural, his father's support and the avalanche on Everest.
Los Angeles Times (May 2010)
His early hiking, the difficult first six-mile training hike, the north-side route and the debate over his age.
ABC News (2010)
Everest preparation, including weighted tires and the reduced-oxygen altitude tent.
Associated Press, CBS and KPBS (December 2011)
The Mount Vinson summit and the completion of the Seven Summits at fifteen.
Transcript
HostA hallway in an elementary school in Big Bear Lake, California. Seven mountains, painted on a wall.
JordanI saw it and I thought — I want to climb those.
HostFour years later he's dragging tires up hills and sleeping in a tent that takes away his oxygen.
HostAnd on May 22, 2010, at thirteen years old, he picks up a satellite phone on top of Mount Everest.
Full transcript continues in the show notes.
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