A 15-year-old boy from Big Bear Lake, north of the San Gorgonio Pass, became the youngest person on Earth to climb the so-called Seven Summits when he stood on top of Vinson Massif in Antartica on Saturday.
Jordan Romero became the youngest ever to climb Mount Everest when he did so at age 13 in May 2010.
Topping out on 16,067-foot Vinson Massif on Dec. 24 made him the youngest to stand on the seven highest peaks on Earth’s seven continents.
Jordan, who trained frequently in the San Gorgonio Wilderness north of Banning, Beaumont and Cabazon, began his quest to climb the Seven Summits six years ago when he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, according to his parents.
A post to his "Find Your Everest" Facebook page on Saturday said:
"It's in the books. The kid and team summit with all fingers and toes. Descent still to come. Then we celebrate."
They made it safely back to their base camp and sent out Christmas greetings on Sunday. They were awaiting air transport from their glacier camp on Monday, according to Find Your Everest.
The story of Jordan's success made global headlines.
The teenager is a sponsored climber and mountaineer who also seeks donations to help pay for his expeditions.
Jordan typically climbs with his father and stepmother, and he called his mother, Leigh Ann Drake, on Saturday to confirm he'd reached the top of Vinson Massif.
The Seven Summits climbed by Jordan Romero:
Africa - Mount Kilimanjaro (19,340 feet above sea level)
Antarctica - Vinson Massif (16,067 feet)
Oceania - Carstensz Pyramid (16,024 feet)
Asia - Mount Everest (29,035 feet)
Europe - Mount Elbrus (18,510 feet)
North America - Mount McKinley (20,320 feet)
South America - Aconcagua (22,841feet)
