Jordan Romero, a 13-year-old American boy has become the youngest climber to reach the top of Mount Everest.

Location: Mount Everest

On May 22, 2010, Jordan Romero, an eighth-grader from the ski town of Big Bear in California’s San Bernardino Mountains, became the youngest climber to summit Mount Everest’s 29,035-foot (8,850-meter) peak. The previous record holder was Temba Tsheri of Nepal who was 16 when he reached the top. Jordan’s achievement is just one part of a bigger dream to reach the top of the highest peaks on all seven continents, which was conceived four years ago when he saw a mural at school that depicted the Seven Summits.

His journey started in 2006 at the age of 10 when he reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. Less than a year later, he climbed Mount Kosciuszko in Australia (not officially a part of the seven summits), followed by Mount Elbrus in Russia (Europe) a few months later. Next was South America’s Mount Aconcagua, Mount Denali in North America then the Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania. His latest feat was reaching the top of Mount Everest, which has claimed many lives since its first ascent by Edmund Hillary in 1953.

A part of the Himalayan mountain range, Mount Everest straddles the border of Nepal and Tibet. Being one of the poorest countries in the world, Nepal survives on tourism brought in by climbers hoping to reach the top of dozens of peaks exceeding 20,000 feet (6,100 meters) above sea level found in the Himalayas, the highest of which is Everest. To get an idea of just how much Nepal brings in from tourism, read on about just how much the average Everest tourist spends.

If you plan to stay in Nepal for more than three days, you’ll have to pay an initial fee of $30. Multiply this by the 25,000 Everest tourists each year, and you’ll get a whole lot of dough. While you’re there, of course you’ll want to climb at least one of the major Himalayan Mountains, but first, you’ll need a government-issued climbing permit. Mountains that tower 21,300 feet (6,501 meters) cost $1,000 to climb and the fee increases $500 for every 1,640 feet (500 meters). This means that the permit to climb Mount Everest costs around $3,350. Aside from the permits, the Nepalese government also charges a royalty fee of $25,000 for one or up to $70,000 for a seven-person expedition crew to take the most common route up the Mountain. Nepal also makes money on lodging and food since most of the hotels are owned by the local Sherpa people. Some of them even welcome overnighters so that the tourists could get a more authentic Himalayan experience.

Can’t afford these steep prices? Don’t worry, there are still hundreds of smaller peaks that can be hiked up for free. Some people also content on visiting the Everest Base Camps: the North Base Camp in Tibet at 17,590 feet (5,360 meters) and the South Base Camp in Nepal located at an altitude of 17,087 feet (5,208 meters). Another plus is that there are packages available to trek into the Everest Base Camp for people who do not have any previous trekking or mountaineering experience. The only qualification is that you are in good physical condition and that you can hike for about four to six hours over a hilly terrain carrying a light day pack.

Inspired by a simple mural at school, Jordan Romero will soon realize his dream of climbing the Seven Summits when he tackles his final peak, Vinson Massif in Antarctica, slated for the end of the year.  With all of his achievements so far, he hopes to inspire other people, especially other kids, to “get outdoors and to set goals in life”.  His next goal is to climb up the tallest peaks in all 50 US states.