Jordan Romero On Today Show

Teen-age Seven Summiteer Jordan Romero appeared on the Today show this morning to talk about his recent climb of Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, and the successful completion of his goal to become the youngest person to climb the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. In case you missed the interview, you can watch it in the video below, where you'll see a remarkably mature and composed young man who has stayed focused on his dreams and has worked very hard to achieve them.

In the interview, Jordan also talks about what adventures he might be pursuing in the future. He indicated that while he would like to take a little time to relax and reflect for now, he also wants to continue inspiring other kids to go after their own goals through his Find Your Everest initiative. The 15-year old also hinted that a journey to the South Pole may be in his future as well. As you can tell from the video, he seemed to really enjoy his time in Antarctica, which he calls the most beautiful place he's ever visited.

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Antarctica 2011: Jordan Romero's Summit Photos!

As I mentioned last week, on Christmas Eve, teen-age mountaineer Jordan Romero reached the top of Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, completing his quest to climb the Seven Summits. In the process, Jordan became the youngest person to ever achieve that feat and has served as an inspiration for others around the world. Jordan and his family have now returned home to Big Bear in California and a much deserved rest, but I thought you might be interested in seeing a couple of summit photos from his final Seven Summits climb. Check them out below.

Thanks to Clay at No Boundaries for sharing these!

Antarctica 2011: Jordan Tops Out On Vinson, Completes Seven Summits!

Just a quick update on 15-year old climber Jordan Romero, who finished his quest to climb the Seven Summits over the holiday weekend by successfully topping out on Mt. Vinson. Jordan, along with his father Paul and step-mom Karen, completed their climb on Christmas Eve, and were back in Base Camp in time for dinner.

For Jordan, Vinson marked the conclusion of a quest that he started when he was just 10 years old. Inspired by a mural he saw at his school, the young man decided he wanted to climb the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents. He would take on Kilimanjaro in Africa first, but would follow that up with successful climbs on the other continents as well, including Everest last year. He was just 13 years old when he stood atop the tallest mountain on the planet.

Antarctica was the last continent for the teenager to visit, and the 4892 meter (16,050 ft) Vinson presented a considerable challenge. What the mountain lacks in height, it makes up for with challenging weather conditions. High winds and extremely cold weather are the norm on Vinson, not to mention plenty of snow. Throw in the fact that the air pressure at the Poles is lower, and the air is actually thinner there than it would be taller mountains closer to the equator.

According to Jordan's Facebook page, the team is now preparing to leave Antarctica and head home. They're expecting an airlift back to Hercules Inlet today, and then back to Punta Arenas, Chile in the next few days. From there, the long journey back to the U.S.

The question is, what's next for the talented and focused climber? Will Jordan take a break from mountaineering for awhile, or will he set his sights on bigger challenges. Perhaps the 8000 meter peaks? He already has one under his belt. I guess we'll have to wait to see. After all, the young man still has to graduate high school.

Congrats Jordan.

Antartica 2011: Summit Plans Change For Jordan, Felicity Leaves The Pole

While the rest of us prepare for a little time with our friends and family for the holidays, the Antarctic explorers remain focused on their respective goals. Most will celebrate Christmas in their own way, but the best present of all will be achieving the things they set out for on the frozen continent.

One person who should be getting just what he wanted for Christmas is teen mountaineer Jordan Romero. Yesterday I mentioned that he had reached Low Camp on Vinson and was hoping to make his summit bid on Sunday, which would put him on top for Christmas Day. Turns out there has been a slight change of plans however, and after moving up to High Camp today, Team Jordan now expects to summit Antarctica's highest peak tomorrow. If successful, Jordan will become the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits. Good luck to Jordan, his dad Paul, and stepmom Karen. Get up and down the mountain safely.

Meanwhile, Felicity Aston has left the South Pole behind and is now back on the trail and headed towards Hercules Inlet. You'll recall that she arrived at Pole earlier this week and then spent a rest day there before resuming her journey. Felicity hopes to become the first woman to traverse Antarctica solo, and reaching the Pole was a good milestone for her expedition. She still has a long ways to go however, which is why she didn't linger at 90ºS for long.

Australian adventurer Mark George is continuing his solo and unsupported trek to the Pole, and is sending holiday wishes to friends and family back home today. Mark has been out on the ice for 27 days and has now passed the 85ºS mark, which puts him more than halfway to his goal. He reports good weather conditions, and warmer than expected temperatures, which has made the snow soft. Those warm temps are appreciated, but the soft snow makes it much harder to pull the sledge behind you. Still, Mark is making good time and covering solid daily distances as well.

Howard Fairbank continues to make progress toward the Pole as well, and now expects to cross the 89th parallel tomorrow. That'll leave him just one degree shy of the South Pole, where he'll complete his solo and unsupported journey and await Richard Weber's group, whom he'll kite back to Hercules with. Howard says that while he is closing in on the finish line, things are not getting any easier though, largely because of a painful foot injury that  makes it difficult to ski at times. The South African says that he is both mentally and physically exhausted at this point, and he'll reassess the idea of kiting once he hits 90ºS.

Finally, Cas and Jonesy have picked up the pace this week, skiing an extra hour each day and as a result, covering more distance. They're also thinking strategically about their expedition now, as they intended to not only reach the South Pole, but then ski back to Hercules Inlet when they're done. Because of this, they've begun to drop supply caches in various locations along the way, which has the benefit of not only lessening their loads, allowing them to move faster, but gives them resupply for the return trip. They're also rationing their food at this point as well, which means they're generally hungry all of the time. When you burn 6000+ calories per day on the trail, it is hard to get enough to eat. But if they want to have a legitimate chance of becoming the first team to make the round-trip from Hercules Inlet to the Pole and back, they need to conserve their supplies. While they haven't indicated that there will be a change in those plans, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't also reassess their situation upon reaching the South Pole as well.

That's all for now. More updates soon.

Antarctica 2011: Jordan In Low Camp On Vinson, Eyes Christmas Summit

Just a quick update on Jordan Romero this morning, who is now in low camp on Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, where he is hoping to complete the last of his Seven Summit climbs. If successful, Jordan will become the youngest person to complete that feat at the age of 15.

The current plan is for Jordan and his team, which consists of his father Paul and stepmother Karen, to move up to high camp tomorrow, where they'll rest, acclimatize, and prepare for a proposed summit bid on Christmas morning.

You can follow along with their progress on Jordan's website, which is updated with current weather conditions on the mountain as well as text messages from the team and their current GPS coordinates. As I write this, it is -22ºC/-7ºF in LC, with a windspeed of 38km/h (20.5 mph). In other words, it is cold and breezy, which is just what you'd expect when climbing this mountain.

Stay tuned for more updates on Jordan's progress. Hopefully he'll be getting the best Christmas present ever on Sunday when he stands on top of Vinson and accomplishes the amazing goal that he set for himself when he was just 10 years old.

Antarctica 2011: Jordan Romero Is On His Way

While the South Pole skiers struggle with their own demons, namely the bad weather and endless days on the ice, the climbers are now appearing in Antarctica in larger numbers, as they set off to climb Mt. Vinson and other nearby peaks.

One of those climbers is of course Jordan Romero, the 15 year old mountaineer who is on the brink of becoming the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits. Yesterday, Jordan and his team (read: his dad and stepmom) left the U.S. for Punta Arenas Chile, where they'll have a brief stop over to collect their gear and complete final preparations before the expedition officially begins. So far, Jordan's website hasn't been updated with on his status, but keep an eye out on the Team Jordan Romero twitter feed for news on his whereabouts. Once he arrives in Base Camp, there will be regular updates, with texts, images, and voice reports as well.

Mt. Vinson marks the end of a long quest for Jordan. The young man climbed his first of the Seven Summits, Kilimanjaro, back in 2006 when he was just ten years old. He followed that up with a slew of successful climbs up Aconcagua, Elbrus, Denali and others. Of course, it was his climb up Everest last year that caught the attention of media around the globe, as he scaled the highest mountain on the planet at the ripe old age of 13.

With Everest out of the way, Vinson was the last obstacle for the young man. Standing 4892 meters (16,050 ft) in height, the peak won't necessarily intimidate with its altitude. The high winds, bitterly cold temperatures, and heavy snow will still create quite a challenge however, so this won't be a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination. Still, Jordan has faced stiffer challenges since he began climbing, and I've learned not to bet against this kid. He is strong, talented, and very determined. It should be fun to follow along on the last of his Seven Summits.

Jordan Romero Prepares For Vinson, Last Of His Seven Summits

15-year old mountaineer Jordan Romero is back in the press today, thanks to a story at CNN.com about his upcoming expedition to Mt. Vinson, the tallest peak in Antarctica. Romero made headlines last year when he successfully climbed Everest at the age of 13, sparking a lot of debate in the mountaineering community about how young is too young for some of these big peaks. Now, he has just one mountain remaining on his Seven Summits list, and he'll try to remove that final hurdle in just a few weeks time.

Jordan began his quest to become the youngest climber to complete the Seven Summits when he was just 10 years old, knocking off Kilimanjaro in Africa. Since then, he has gone on to climb Aconcagua in South America, Denali in Alaska, Elbrus in Europe, Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia, Kosciuszko in Australia, and of course Everest in Asia. Now, only the 4892 meter (16,050 ft) Vinson remains.

According to Jordan's website, he'll leave for Punta Arenas, Chile on December 12th, where he'll no doubt have to put the finishing touches on his preparation for the climb while waiting for a proper weather window for ALE to deliver him to Base Camp. With any luck however, he'll be there by mid-December and will spend Christmas on Vinson working towards the end of a goal that he has been remarkably focused on over the past five years.

I'll post updates on Jordan's climb as we get them.

Antarctica 2011: More Of The Same

The weekend had both highs and lows for the polar explorers in the Antarctic. For some, weather conditions continued to make their journeys very challenging, while others began to see a light at the end of the tunnel, with a promise for improvements ahead.

One of the teams that has struggled so mightily so far is the Crossing the Ice team. The boys are hoping to make a round-trip journey from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and back again, but have been greatly slowed by the tough conditions they've encountered so far. Their latest updates indicate that the weather has taken a turn for the better, with clear skies and manageable winds. Still, the fine powder of fresh snow has made it difficult to pull their sleds, which is making them expend more energy than they had hoped. They also note that while this is a two-man expedition, they spend most of the time alone, lost in their thoughts. It is impossible to chat while on the trail and at the end of the day they are too exhausted to sleep, so they end up spending a lot of time in solitude. Cas and Jonesy are making the headlines back home in Australia though, as evidenced in the video below, which shares details from the field.

The South Pole 1911-2011 team had a relatively easy go of it compared to others up until last week. They had been skiing across the Ross Ice Shelf, which allowed them to get somewhat acclimated and build a rhythm. But after they made their way on to the continent itself, the challenges ramped up as well. Not only did they have to deal with the long, slow climb up to the Antarctic Plateau, the weather has taken a turn too. Their clear skies and low winds have been replaced with whiteouts and gale forces, which have slowed their progress considerably. They're also feeling the effects of 20 days on the ice as well, and although they were tempted to take a rest day yesterday, they continue to soldier on.

 Dixie Dansercoer and Sam Deltour spent the weekend at the ALCI base, which was was hit with a blizzard. The duo were forced to restart their planned 3 month long, 6000km expedition that will, if successful, become the longest unsupported Antarctic adventure ever. Dixie and Sam spent the past few days selecting a new starting location and working out the logistics of getting dropped off at the new position, and now they're eager to get back underway. Unfortunately, the weather will prevent that from happening until tomorrow at the earliest, although Wednesday looks to be the most likely day to relaunch.

Also eager to get underway are Felicity Aston, Richard Weber, and Mark Wood. Each arrived at Union Glacier over the weekend and are now putting the final touches on their preparation for their various journeys to the South Pole. Expect these three independent expeditions to all begin in the next day or two.

Finally, the annual pilgrimage of climbers to Mt. Vinson has begun. Teams are now arriving on the continent and making their way out to the 4892 meter (16,050 ft) which is the tallest on the continent. Most of these climbers are in the midst of their Seven Summits bids and are hoping to knock off Vinson  over the next few weeks. A handful of climbers will be tackling other, lesser known, mountains as well.