Young British climber at the peak of his powers
The tallest mountains in each of the planet's 7 continents are known as the Seven Summits. The notion of climbing them all as a mountaineering challenge was first suggested by Richard Bass in the 1980s, with Bass going on to become the first person to accomplish this feat on 30th April 1985. He also became the oldest person to have climbed Everest at that time.
Recently, a teenage student from Britain set out to conquer the Seven Summits, and, finishing with Everest four days before he turned 17, he became the youngest person ever to complete the challenge, and the youngest Britain to reach the top of Everest.
Having inherited a love of climbing from his father Mark (a 51-year-old partner in an accountancy firm), George had already scaled Kilimanjaro in India, Mount Elbrus in Russia, Cartensz Pyramid in Indonesia and Aconcagua in Argentina by the time he was 14. In the year leading up to his Everest ascent, George also scaled Denali in Alaska and Vinson in Antarctica.
George insists that he wasn't motivated by the chance to become a record-breaker, but now that he's done so, he says it feels great. He didn't expect the level of media interest there has been, with magazines, newspapers and TV producers from all over the world having contacted him. The family have spent around 100,000 funding his adventures, according to his dad, who acknowledges that "George is lucky to have had that advantage."
The next challenge for George is Mont Blanc in the French Alps, after which he has the rather more mundane prospect of his A-Levels to look forward to. There is one obvious hole in his incredible list of achievements - K2, on the China/Pakistan border. K2 is the world's second highest mountain, but is a more technical climb than Everest. At the moment, George says he needs to improve before he takes it on. Nevertheless, he looks set to follow his dream of becoming a professional climber, and it would be foolish to bet against him making a successful career out of his passion.
Recently, a teenage student from Britain set out to conquer the Seven Summits, and, finishing with Everest four days before he turned 17, he became the youngest person ever to complete the challenge, and the youngest Britain to reach the top of Everest.
Having inherited a love of climbing from his father Mark (a 51-year-old partner in an accountancy firm), George had already scaled Kilimanjaro in India, Mount Elbrus in Russia, Cartensz Pyramid in Indonesia and Aconcagua in Argentina by the time he was 14. In the year leading up to his Everest ascent, George also scaled Denali in Alaska and Vinson in Antarctica.
George insists that he wasn't motivated by the chance to become a record-breaker, but now that he's done so, he says it feels great. He didn't expect the level of media interest there has been, with magazines, newspapers and TV producers from all over the world having contacted him. The family have spent around 100,000 funding his adventures, according to his dad, who acknowledges that "George is lucky to have had that advantage."
The next challenge for George is Mont Blanc in the French Alps, after which he has the rather more mundane prospect of his A-Levels to look forward to. There is one obvious hole in his incredible list of achievements - K2, on the China/Pakistan border. K2 is the world's second highest mountain, but is a more technical climb than Everest. At the moment, George says he needs to improve before he takes it on. Nevertheless, he looks set to follow his dream of becoming a professional climber, and it would be foolish to bet against him making a successful career out of his passion.
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