Everest is for teens

OK, so the news is today that this 13 yr. old kid just made it to the top of Everest, and is now the youngest to summit. He's headed for a goal of all 7 Summits. Did Kili when he was 9. Isn't he supposed to be at home, popping pimples and playing with his X-Box or Gameboy while texting his friends endlessly? Maybe doing 5.10b gym leads instead of trekking across the world?

So does this really put an end to anyone crying about how hard it is to hike/climb mountains? I mean, does it prove all you need now to summit big mountains are a good pair of legs and lungs?. Or does this event just make us all feel so much older than we need to feel on a hungover Saturday morning.

Yeah I was reading about that boy in my local newspaper the other day. While there is for sure a lot of personal desire and love of the mountains involved (i'm assuming), I think some of it might be for building up his own name. The reason for this is according to the newspaper, his next goal is to climb the highest 'peaks' in all 50 states. Walking through a farm on Kansas for an hour to get to the state's 'high point' seems anti-climactic for a kid who has summited Everest. But hey what do I know, maybe he just loves adventure and traveling. In any case, it's way cool that he got the chance to embark on such a climb at that age.

I wish I had 50k :(

I think you are missing where the kid has some legit mental fortitude. Arent 8000m peaks just an enduring misery fest? I realized when I was not much older then this kid that the misery involved in doing them was not what I was seeking.

My $.02
What are his parents thinking? I am pretty sure I wouldn't send my 13yr old kid off to climb Everest. That is a lot of risk for anyone let alone a 13 yr. old....

Summiting Everest is way better than X-Box. Video games are garbage. I'd let my kids summit mountains instead of drain their brains of valuable space.

I let my kids summit mountains and allow them to drain their brains of valuable space on occasion. It's all about balance. :-)

One thing is for sure, that kid is strong! It's going to be interesting to see what becomes of him in the mountaineering/climbing world as he grows up. Will he feed the flame or let it burn out?

His Sherpa?
youtube.com/watch?v=aEoYUF6…

Disclaimer: That is soooo wrong!

Don't get me wrong I am chomping at the bit to take my little guy (almost 3) out climbing in the mountains I just think Everest is a bit much for 13.

Sunny-D wrote:Don't get me wrong I am chomping at the bit to take my little guy (almost 3) out climbing in the mountains I just think Everest is a bit much for 13.

It's interesting to see all these races to be the youngest to do something "extreme", Everest, 7 summits, sail alone around the world. But still if you let your kid roam around the block unattended, or ride a bike without more protection than Yeager wore when he broke the sound barrier, you risk a visit from social services.
Kudos to that kid, but don't we at some point have to give childhood back to children, and quit idealizing accomplishment for accomplishment's sake? He's 13 and been to the top of the world and back, its hard to believe he'll be able to live up to the expectations of future accomplishment this will foster.

jim bridwell says smoking is training for altitude.

matt davies wrote: It's interesting to see all these races to be the youngest to do something "extreme", Everest, 7 summits, sail alone around the world. But still if you let your kid roam around the block unattended, or ride a bike without more protection than Yeager wore when he broke the sound barrier, you risk a visit from social services. Kudos to that kid, but don't we at some point have to give childhood back to children, and quit idealizing accomplishment for accomplishment's sake? He's 13 and been to the top of the world and back, its hard to believe he'll be able to live up to the expectations of future accomplishment this will foster.

Pushing the kids to set youth records is all wrong I agree. It was like over 10 years ago I think; I was skiing in terrible whiteout conditions in Colorado when that 7 yr. old girl trying to fly solo across America, crashed in those terrible conditions on take off from Cheyenne Wyoming. She and her dad both died, but he convinced her it was OK to try and fly that morning. That's the kind of shit that sucks, when parents get over involved for their own agenda.

Actually Woodchuck, that was in April of 1996. Jessica Dubroff wasn't flying solo; you must be at least 16 to fly solo. The accident investigation pretty muched proved that she wasn't flying at the time of the accident. Joe Reid, the pilot-in-command was at the controls. The decision to fly was his, not the father's. The aircraft was almost surely overloaded and the weather was closing. Reid was also probably influenced by the schedule.

The bottom line is bad choices were made and three people died; one of them very young. But it wouldn't be an issue if the plane didn't crash. Jessica would be in the record books, get 15 minutes and then a 6-year-old would have to try it.

I really don't know if it is fair to blame the father in this case. People take their children on planes all the time; drive down the highway; smoke cigarettes nearby (or teach their kids to smoke -- very disturbing Gigi!). Life is a risk. Choices are made and sometimes they are wrong.

An interesting side note -- Jessica's birth mother sued the plane manufacturer. Utterly ridiculous.

My mistake on the dad. Remember the overload, bad weather, poor choices, etc. I thought it was 'her' flight for the record as primary pilot(yes,not a solo). Long time ago and forgot alot of the details, but it does hang in my memory as a very sad day for aviation.

Whoa!
That was some serious hijack action Gri. . . hard to believe there is still talk about some 13 yo summitting an 8m.

That little turd is the coolio smoker I always wanted to be! Look at the smooth style - like James Bond, James Dean and James Earl Jones all rolled up into a fat little brown baby. Phenomenal!

True class that kiddo.

I watched "Blindsight" recently.

blindsightthemovie.com/

At first I thought, this is pretty cool. But then I saw these kick azz mountaineers taking teenagers into the mountains for their own Western agenda. None of these kids had the skills, judgment or experience to be there, and their so-called "guides" had too much of their own agenda in it. Or so it seemed to me.

I dunno. I have been pretty heavily influenced by all the old expedition accounts (Five Miles High, Annapurna, the list is long...). But of course that world is long gone.

Want to get really sour on the whole 8000 metre game? Check out High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed.

amazon.com/High-Crimes-Fate…

This all may be true but Denali is not for the mental incompetent.

anyone see this?

adn.com/2010/07/09/1360040/…

A 13 year old kid should be sitting in school and waiting for breaks from school and college when he/she can explore mountains around their campus moving on to bigger mountains when THEY can afford it. Thats just me though...

He didnt climb it, sherpas and guides set up ropes and took him to the top. Big deal.

I dont think anyone going on most of these guided Everest Trips are really climbing the mountain, watch any of the Everest documentaries and youll be hard pressed to find anyone with an ax in hand, only an ascender. the idea now is anyone with enough money in decent shape can climb the mountain with no real skill needed. one foot in front of the other in an elephant line. whats sad is the majority of the guides/outfitters are legends in their own who did actually contribute to the mountaineering world but are now abusing the mountain and ruining the game for most. id like to see the ropes removed and people going to Everest actually have a real resume under their harness. Everest is merely a high altitude hike these days! SAD.

The Chinese should just build a tram to the top and be done with it.