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.
A 16-year-old student has set a new record, becoming the youngest person in the world to have conquered the Seven Summits. Four days before he turned 17, George Atkinson, from Surbiton, reached the top of Mount Everest, marking the final step in what is a remarkable achievement. As well as being the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits, he is now also the youngest Briton to have scaled 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."
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.
A 16-year-old student has set a new record, becoming the youngest person in the world to have conquered the Seven Summits. Four days before he turned 17, George Atkinson, from Surbiton, reached the top of Mount Everest, marking the final step in what is a remarkable achievement. As well as being the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits, he is now also the youngest Briton to have scaled 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."
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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