Well, that kid did grow up to arguably be the greatest golfer ever, but I don't think Elin would argue for his maturity.
Joe, absolutely, unequivocally, the line of the day!
I may be wrong - happens more than I like, dammit - but I think we've seen the youngest person to climb Everest for many, many years to come. Thirteen! The kid still hasn't even had his first date yet (presumably), and is too young to try out for varsity sports! At sixteen, the previous Everest record, an argument could be made for "almost-adult". Thirteen is an order of magnitude (or two) away from sixteen, and is still a kid no matter how you slice it and dice it. Would a child with no "teen" in their age even be allowed to try some of these peaks by the permitting authorities?
I'll readily admit that thirteen today is different from when I was thirteen, and in a lot of ways. Modern day 13 YOs may be more "grown up" than a generation or two past, but I wouldn't say they're necessarily more mature. Maturity is, when all is said and done, the ability to comprehend, reason, and
unilaterally make the correct decision/choice, particularly when the pressure is on. The only way Jordan was able to get the backing and permitting necessary for some of these climbs is because his father, an experienced mountaineer and high-altitude specialist, accompanied him on each one. When/if Jordan bags Vinson with his dad, there will be
two new entries in the 7 Summits rolls.
Fortunately, Jordan appears to be the excessively rare exception to young teen behavior. Impressive kid, grounded in reality, big for his age, and did these peaks in the right kind of order so that he had experience to draw upon as each one got tougher. That's mainly why I can't see a 12 or 11 YO managing this feat - mountaineering in difficult circumstances demands experience to keep you reasonably safe. What are the chances of some exceptional tween setting out to conquer the 7S, or Everest, without a highly-experienced mountaineering parent or other close family member to guide him/her along the way and watch out for them? "Hey Mommy, when I've finished my hour of Disney Channel, can I go climb Denali?" I just don't see it. I bet Jordan's record stands for a long, long time.
