Calif. Teen Conquers Seven Summits

[WICS]

After Everest, teen to try college.

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA, Associated Press Writer

Wed May 23, 4:31 AM ET

KATMANDU, Nepal - After becoming what is believed to be the youngest climber to scale the highest mountains on all seven continents, an 18-year-old California woman is set to tackle another challenge — starting college in the fall.

Samantha Larson flew from Mount Everest to Katmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday on her way home to of Long Beach, Calif. Along with her was her father, David Larson, a 51-year-old anesthesiologist who accompanied his daughter on her trek up Mount Everest.

"I was really happy to be there and I was happy to be going down too," Larson said about her thoughts when she reached the 29,035-foot summit of Everest on May 17.

She became the youngest foreign woman to scale Everest, according to the Nepalese Mountaineering Department. A 15-year-old Sherpa girl from Nepal was the youngest ever to climb the peak.

Larson said Everest was "much harder, longer and higher" than the other peaks she has tackled in the past.

"There were a lot of difficult moments. It was a long trip, it was hard in general," she said. "It was one big challenge. I never gave up hope completely. Deep down I thought I would make it."

She said she was 12 when she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. Since then she has scaled the highest peaks on all seven continents, also called the "Seven Summits."

"It kind of happened. It was a gradual thing," she said of her mountaineering exploits.

Larson is set to start classes at Stanford University in the fall. She graduated from high school in 2006, but put off attending college for a year so she could concentrate on climbing.

According to 7summits.com, a Web site that tracks those who have accomplished the feat, completing the climb in Nepal makes Larson the youngest person to have completed the "seven summits" challenge, breaking a 2006 record set by then-20-year-old British climber Rhys Miles Jones.

Since New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay first conquered Everest on May 29, 1953, about 2,000 climbers have scaled the mountain.

[FrankZappa]

There is a great thread about this sort of thing see here

[stihletto]

family has too much money. Cool for her though.

[Dug]

family has too much money.

That comment would be so much more suitable for the thousands of other kids out there dicking around with well to do parents. Curious that you chose this girl.

[Pura Vida]

That comment would be so much more suitable for the thousands of other kids out there dicking around with well to do parents. Curious that you chose this girl.

Ever seen the horrific show called "My Super Sweet 16?" At least the gravy train for this chick is climbing instead of trying to be next rich elitist american asshole

[telepariah]

Worthless without nekkid pics (taken after she turned 18).

[BushwackerinPA]

family has too much money. Cool for her though.

yeah cause its her choice ob how much money her parents have....

at least sees doing something commenable with it and not dicking around.

[jon turner]

yeah cause its her choice ob how much money her parents have....

at least sees doing something commenable with it and not dicking around.

agreed. this seems like a worthy way to take advantage of being rich. I'll be critical of rich people who do incredibly dumb things with their money (as much as that's subjective as well), but if my family was rich, I'd totally climb (and ski) as much as I could too.

[khyber.pass]

I wonder what the level of 'guide assistance' was. Certainly not without oxygen. Did she carry her own pack? Heading up Everest these days (and the other 6 summits) is something of noses-to-asses on the standard routes. An achievement no less but also something of the times that acts of such difficulty have become so banal.

[cincystar]

family has too much money. Cool for her though.

awwww someone is just jealous, thats cute

[cj001f]

awwww someone is just jealous, thats cute

awww someone is clueless. how typical.

[skimasterflex]

There is a great thread about this sort of thing see here

HAHA I know it is like they've taken over this forum and people who actually know what SUMMITS means are in the minority or something.

Funny how 9 more posts went by with no mention of yours.

This forum is not about climbing! It is about meeting up with one another!