British teenager breaks Seven Summits record
The Seven Summits are the tallest mountains in each of the planet's 7 continents. Richard Bass first suggested the idea of climbing them all as a mountaineering challenge in the 1980s, and then became the first person to accomplish this on 30th April 1985. At that point, he was the oldest person to have scaled Mount Everest.
Recently, a 16-year-old student from Surbiton became the youngest person in the world to have completed the Seven Summits. George Atkinson reached the top of Mount Everest four days before his 17th birthday to complete this incredible achievement. He is now also the youngest Briton to have climbed Everest.
George's love of climbing was inherited from his father, Mark. By the time he was 14, George had already scaled Kilimanjaro in India, Mount Elbrus in Russia, Cartensz Pyramid in Indonesia and Aconcagua in Argentina. He also scaled Denali in Alaska and Vinson in Antarctica in the year leading up to his Everest ascent.
He insists that he didn't do it to break the record, but says it feels great to have that honour. He has been surprised by the amount of media interest, with newspapers, magazines and TV producers from all over the world having been in touch. His dad reckons the family have spent around 100,000 funding his adventures, and says "George is lucky to have had that advantage."
George's next challenge is Mont Blanc in the French Alps, after which he will sit his A-Level exams. It also looks likely that he will attempt K2 (the world's second-highest mountain, on the China/Pakistan border) at some point. K2 is more technical than Everest, and he acknowledges that he needs more practice. George climbed Everest to raise money for CHASE, a children's hospice charity, which he has supported since his sister lost her best friend to leukaemia aged 13. George says becoming a professional climber would be a dream come true.
Recently, a 16-year-old student from Surbiton became the youngest person in the world to have completed the Seven Summits. George Atkinson reached the top of Mount Everest four days before his 17th birthday to complete this incredible achievement. He is now also the youngest Briton to have climbed Everest.
George's love of climbing was inherited from his father, Mark. By the time he was 14, George had already scaled Kilimanjaro in India, Mount Elbrus in Russia, Cartensz Pyramid in Indonesia and Aconcagua in Argentina. He also scaled Denali in Alaska and Vinson in Antarctica in the year leading up to his Everest ascent.
He insists that he didn't do it to break the record, but says it feels great to have that honour. He has been surprised by the amount of media interest, with newspapers, magazines and TV producers from all over the world having been in touch. His dad reckons the family have spent around 100,000 funding his adventures, and says "George is lucky to have had that advantage."
George's next challenge is Mont Blanc in the French Alps, after which he will sit his A-Level exams. It also looks likely that he will attempt K2 (the world's second-highest mountain, on the China/Pakistan border) at some point. K2 is more technical than Everest, and he acknowledges that he needs more practice. George climbed Everest to raise money for CHASE, a children's hospice charity, which he has supported since his sister lost her best friend to leukaemia aged 13. George says becoming a professional climber would be a dream come true.
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