No Summit Out Of Sight: The True Story Of The Youngest Person To Climb The Seven Summits

People have been climbing mountains for thousands of years, and in past eras the primary purpose was often to create a settlement, see the land, or perform religious ceremonies and rituals. In Tibet, for instance, before Chinese occupation, more than six thousand monasteries existed, many of which were situated high in the mountains. Some of the less reachable monasteries still exist today, but most were destroyed in the 1950s and beyond. Sherpas like those Jordan climbs with speak their own language and have a unique heritage. They migrated to Tibet in the 15th century and have since developed a culture around mountain climbing. Their skill and endurance are likely unmatched anywhere in the world. In places like New Guinea, the mountains are part of the culture as well, and tribespeople who have lived there for hundreds or thousands of years (such as the Dani) protect the mountain and protest against environmental destruction like what occurs because of the gold mine that Jordan and his group fly over.

While people have been scaling mountains for thousands of years for the purpose of land surveillance or religious rites, or to create a livelihood, mountaineering as a sport did not develop until the early to mid-19th century. During the 1800s, Europeans (particularly the French, British, Germans, and Swiss) developed an interest in scaling the Swiss Alps and the glaciers of the Chamonix Valley in France. Many consider 1854-1865 the golden age of mountaineering because during these years people successfully completed more than 60 climbs. The Matterhorn was a popular and challenging mountain to conquer, and it remains famous today. Following this period, mountaineers from Europe began setting their sights on other destinations like the Himalayas, the Andes, and the Caucasus. The mountaineers who first scaled these mountains did so without anchors, ropes, ladders, and other safety equipment or established camps. They were the pioneers who eventually put these things into place so that others could follow and climb more safely. Mountaineering equipment in the 1800s consisted of tall boots, a few items such as a rope, and a walking stick, which doubled as an axe. Today, mountaineering equipment includes complex gear like carabiners, crampons (boots with ice picks attached), and a helmet. While the safety of mountain climbing has improved over the years, it is still considered one of the world’s riskiest sports.