13-year-old climbs Everest

The story is HERE.

But I’m not posting this news in a positive spirit. 13-year-olds have no business on Everest. I’ve done some reading about mountaineering disasters, and they happen plentifully even on Everest (which despite its great altitude is apparently not as difficult a technical climb as many other famous peaks).

This “superchild” phenomenon is, of course, often satisfying the needs of the parents more than those of the child. All right, the kid now has an incredible c.v. Who will be able to match what he did? This will open many career doors for him later.

And he got away with it: he didn’t die on the climb. But that doesn’t stop this from being, in my opinion, a ridiculous event. If 18-year-olds are famous for their false sense of immortality, just think about 13-year-olds. How can a 13-year-old possibly make a judicious assessment of possible risks on a Mt. Everest climb?

I have a 13-year-old nephew, and he’s very bright and accomplished. But sending him on dangerous climbs would never even occur to me as falling within the range of responsible options.

This is a bit of a fogeyish post, I know, but the incident seems so stupid. Is there any good reason to climb the Seven Summits at 13? What reason other than an ostentatious sense of celebrity?

Next up: the first 13-year-old to go on a Special Forces mission in Afghanistan.