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SNOWBIRD -- A Utah teenager just finished a major global challenge that would humble many of the world's greatest athletes. Johnny Collinson became the youngest person to summit the highest peak on each of the seven continents.
Johnny calls Snowbird, Utah, home. His parents both live and work there; he started skiing at 2-and-a-half years old.
| The 7 Summits | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summit | Location | Height |
| Aconcagua | Argentina | 22,841 ft |
| Everest | Nepal, Tibet | 29,030 ft |
| Denali | Alaska | 20,320 ft |
| Elbrus | Russia | 18,510 ft |
| Kilimanjaro | Tanzania | 19,340 ft |
| Carstenz Pyramid | Indonesia | 16,023 ft |
| Vinson Massif | Antarctica | 16,067 ft |
He did that last spring. Last week, at age 17, Johnny became the youngest person to conquer the seven summits.
"It hasn't sunken in too much, but walking around Snowbird and everyone being, like, ‘Congratulations!' It's kind of sinking in. It's pretty cool," Johnny says.
He makes it all sound like it's no big deal, but he endured temperatures of 40 degrees below zero, extreme winds and daylong climbing efforts that would buckle the knees of many athletes.
Did he ever think of giving up?
"No. It was all pretty straightforward, and I knew I could do it," Johnny says.
Willie Benegas, of Patagonian Brothers, was Johnny's partner in each climb. The two started off with a plan to climb Mt. Everest, and the dream grew from there.
On the last of the seven summits, Mt. Vinson, Antarctica, Johnny says the greatest challenge was just getting there.
On each stage of the adventure, Johnny took time to connect with the cultures.
"Being with the people in their local environments and seeing how they treat their home, that's pretty cool. I bring a lot out of that," Johnny says.
His father says that he and his wife recognized at a very early age that Johnny had a real gift for scampering around the mountains up in Little Cottonwood Canyon. At age 4, Johnny was the youngest person to summit Mt. Rainier. When he was climbing Everest, the Sherpas there nicknamed him "The White Sherpa.""I didn't have a Sherpa climbing," Johnny says. "I carried all my own gear and extra ropes for fixing, and that's pretty unusual."
Johnny goes to public school in the spring and fall, and in the winter takes independent study classes. He's on pace to graduate with his peers this spring.
After that, he'll pursue his primary passion: extreme skiing for competition and photo shoots. But he wants to share his accomplishment too.
"Interacting with other youth of America, or around the world, trying to inspire them to get in the outdoors and see what nature's like," Johnny explains.
He wants to encourage them to reach for the top of the world in their dreams.
E-mail: jboal@ksl.com
