Jordan Romero facts for kids

Jordan Romero (born July 12, 1996) is an American mountain climber who set a world record by climbing to the top of Mount Everest when he was only 13 years old. This made him the youngest person ever to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain.

Jordan didn't make the dangerous journey alone. He was with his father, Paul Romero, his step-mother, Karen Lundgren, and three experienced Sherpa guides. Before Jordan, the record for the youngest Everest climber was held by Ming Kipa from Nepal, who was 15 when she reached the top in 2003.

Jordan's adventures didn't stop there. In December 2011, at the age of 15, he climbed Vinson Massif in Antarctica. By doing this, he became the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits. The Seven Summits are the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. After his amazing climbs, Jordan wrote a book for young readers called No Summit Out of Sight.

Climbing the Seven Summits

Jordan's goal was to climb the highest peak on every continent. This is a huge challenge known as the Seven Summits. He started when he was just 10 years old! Here is a list of the incredible mountains he climbed to achieve his goal.

The Record-Breaking Everest Climb

Climbing Mount Everest was Jordan's biggest challenge. To prepare, he had already climbed five of the Seven Summits. His highest climb before Everest was Aconcagua in South America, which is over 6,962 meters (22,841 feet) high.

For the Everest expedition, Jordan's team chose the northern route, starting from Tibet. They carried modern technology like a GPS tracker and a satellite phone to stay safe and connected. During the climb, Jordan even did an interview from a base camp located 18,700 feet above sea level.

When he finally reached the top of the world, he made a Skype call to celebrate. He also called his mother, who was tracking his every move on a map using the GPS data and photos his team sent.

New Goal: The 50 U.S. State Summits

After conquering the world's highest peaks, Jordan set a new goal for himself. He decided to climb the highest point in each of the 50 U.S. states. This is a popular challenge for climbers known as peak bagging. He had already climbed Alaska's highest peak, Denali, back in 2008 as part of his Seven Summits quest.

This map shows the highest points in each U.S. state with red circles. Jordan Romero is trying to climb all of them.

Here are some of the state summits he has climbed so far:

Personal Life and Books

Jordan Romero grew up in Big Bear Lake, California, a place known for its mountains and outdoor activities. He was born to Paul Romero and Leigh Anne Drake. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

Jordan has shared his amazing story in books to inspire other young people. He co-wrote The Boy Who Conquered Everest: The Jordan Romero Story and later wrote No Summit out of Sight: The Story of Jordan Romero with Linda LeBlanc.

See also

• Matt Moniz, another young climber who climbed the 50 State Summits in just 43 days with his father.
• Malavath Purna, who also climbed Mount Everest at age 13.
• Tyler Armstrong, who became the youngest person to climb Aconcagua at age 9.