Grade 5: Young Author Shares Climbing Adventures

Fifth graders who read No Summit Out of Sight over the summer got a chance to hear from the author, Jordan Romero, via Skype this week.

 

Jordan was only 15 when he broke records as the youngest person to summit the highest mountain on every continent. His book retells the adventures and challenges of reaching this goal.

 

Now 21 years old and a college student in Salt Lake City, Jordan’s story began when he was just 9 and became fascinated with the seven summits. He recalls learning everything about the regions, environment, climbing conditions and cultures of the mountains. He “bagged” his first three mountains — Kilimanjaro, Kosciuszko and Elbrus  — at age 10. Over the next several years he summited Aconcagua, Denali, Everest, Carstensz Pyramid in Asia, and Vinson Massif for a total of eight climbs.

 

“I remember flying into Tanzania and everything about it was so different from where I grew up in Southern California,” he says. “I loved meeting people from around the world and it made me grateful for the life I live.”

 

Jordan’s advice to Graland fifth graders was to “find your Everest, your passion, and make a game plan to achieve it.”

 

“Climbing mountains isn’t for everyone,” he shared, “but think about the thing you want that will get you excited to wake up in the morning. Write your goal and look at it every day so you can envision making it happen.”

 

He described how any goal is possible by taking it “one step at a time.” Focusing on smaller goals and surrounding yourself with supporters is key, he says.

 

After speaking about his experiences, Jordan answered questions from students:

 

What is your biggest struggle when climbing?

“The biggest mental struggle is standing at the bottom of the mountain and looking up. It’s intimidating. The biggest physical struggle is getting to the middle of the climb and knowing you have a lot of work ahead.”

 

What mountain was the scariest?

“Mount Everest was the scariest because we were caught in an avalanche. ‘The Death Zone’ is a real thing on Everest.”

 

Which mountain was the hardest?

“Denali was the hardest because it was the coldest. It got down to -40 degrees. It’s a dangerous mountain and we also climbed it in only eight days. It was brutal.”

 

Why did you want to write a book?

“I wrote the book as a way to record my life and memories. I hoped that by sharing my story I could inspire others to set goals and also leave a legacy.”

 

How did you handle all the attention after you became the youngest person to summit Mt. Everest?

“It was overwhelming at first and I was not good at giving interviews. I was nervous to be on TV with celebrities like Jay Leno. But I got more comfortable and my family made sure to keep me humble.”

 

Student Cali Carr called No Summit Out of Sight “a great book” that showed how Jordan followed his dream one mountain at a time.

 

Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa: Age 10, 19,340 feet

Mount Kosciuszko in Australia: Age 10, 7,310 feet

Mount Elbrus in Europe: Age 10, 18,510 feet

Mount Aconcagua in South America: Age 11, 22,841 feet

Denali in North America: Age 11, 20,320 feet

Mount Carstensz Pyramid in Asia: Age 13, 16,024 feet

Mount Everest in Asia: Age 13, 29,029 feet

Vinson Massif in Antartica: Age 15, 16,050 feet