Youngest and Oldest Person to Climb Everest

The questions about who is the youngest and oldest person to climb Everest come up constantly among trekkers staring up at the world's highest mountain. The short answer: the youngest is American Jordan Romero, who stood on top at 13, and the oldest is Japanese skier-mountaineer Yuichiro Miura, who summited at 80. But the full story involves several record holders, two very different routes, and rules that Nepal has tightened over the years to protect young climbers. Here is what the verified record actually says.

Key takeaways

• The youngest person on record to climb Everest is Jordan Romero (USA), summit on 22 May 2010 at age 13.
• The youngest female is Malavath Purna (India), summit on 25 May 2014, also age 13.
• The oldest person is Yuichiro Miura (Japan), summit on 23 May 2013 at 80 years 223 days.
• The oldest woman is Tamae Watanabe (Japan), summit on 19 May 2012 at 73 years 180 days.
• Both teenage record holders climbed from the Tibet (north) side, because Nepal's minimum age of 16 (set in 2003) shut them out of the south route.
• Nepal's announced rules for 2025 raise the minimum climbing age to 18, which would make today's teenage records very hard to repeat legally.

The youngest person to climb Everest: Jordan Romero

Jordan Romero, an American mountaineer, reached the summit of Mount Everest on 22 May 2010. He was 13 years old, roughly 13 years and 10 months, making him the youngest person on record to climb the mountain. He did not climb alone: he was accompanied by his father, his step-mother, and three Sherpas.

A crucial detail explains his route. Nepal requires Everest climbers from its side to be at least 16, a rule introduced in 2003. Because Romero was too young to obtain a Nepal permit, he climbed instead from the north ridge in Tibet, where Chinese authorities at the time did not enforce the same age floor. The north side is generally considered the more committing of the two standard routes.

Romero did not stop at Everest. He had already climbed five of the highest peaks on each continent before Everest, and he completed the "Seven Summits" challenge with Mount Vinson in Antarctica at age 15. Before him, the youngest recognised Everest summiteer had been Temba Tsheri Sherpa of Nepal, who reached the top at 16.

If you are weighing the mountain itself versus the trek to its base, our explainer on the difference between Everest Base Camp and the summit climb lays out why these are two completely different undertakings.

The youngest girl to climb Everest: Malavath Purna

About four years after Romero, Malavath Purna of India set the female record. She summited on 25 May 2014 at 13 years and 11 months, making her the youngest woman on record to climb Everest. Like Romero, she went up from the Tibet side, which made her the youngest person to summit from the north as well at the time.

Her story is notable beyond the numbers. According to widely reported accounts, she came from a family of agricultural labourers and had effectively no mountaineering background before being selected for a state-sponsored training and expedition programme. Her climb is often cited as an example of how structured support and training, rather than a lifetime in the mountains, carried a young climber to the top.

The oldest person to climb Everest: Yuichiro Miura

At the other end of the age scale stands Yuichiro Miura of Japan, a skier and mountaineer who summited Everest on 23 May 2013 at 80 years and 223 days. Guinness World Records recognises him as the oldest man to climb Everest.

What makes Miura remarkable is that he held this record three separate times, breaking his own mark twice:

| Summit date | Miura's age | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | 22 May 2003 | 70 | First became oldest summiteer, climbed with his son | | 26 May 2008 | 75 | Broke his own record | | 23 May 2013 | 80 | Broke it a third time, the standing male record |

Miura's mountain career goes back decades. In 1970 he became the first person to ski on Everest, a feat captured in an Academy Award-winning documentary. His three Everest summits across his 70s and 80s, each requiring supplemental oxygen and a strong support team, make him one of the most enduring figures in high-altitude mountaineering.

The oldest woman to climb Everest: Tamae Watanabe

The oldest woman on record to climb Everest is Tamae Watanabe of Japan, a retired office worker who lives near Mount Fuji. She reached the summit on 19 May 2012 at 73 years and 180 days. Like Miura, she was an experienced high-altitude climber rather than a first-timer, and her ascent stands as the benchmark for the oldest female summit.

Records at a glance

Here is the verified picture in one table. All ages are as reported at the time of each summit.

| Record | Person | Country | Summit date | Age | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Youngest overall | Jordan Romero | USA | 22 May 2010 | 13 (about 13y 10m) | | Youngest female | Malavath Purna | India | 25 May 2014 | 13 (about 13y 11m) | | Oldest overall (male) | Yuichiro Miura | Japan | 23 May 2013 | 80y 223d | | Oldest female | Tamae Watanabe | Japan | 19 May 2012 | 73y 180d |

A point worth keeping in mind: nearly all age-record summits, including these, were achieved with bottled oxygen and Sherpa support, which is standard practice on commercial Everest expeditions. The records are about age, not about climbing style.

Why route choice matters for the age records

Everest has two standard routes: the south ridge from Nepal (the classic line first climbed in 1953) and the north ridge from Tibet. The reason both teenage record holders used the north side is purely regulatory.

Nepal set a minimum climbing age of 16 in 2003, after concern about very young climbers attempting the peak. That rule effectively closed the south route to anyone younger. Tibet did not enforce the same floor at the time, so the north ridge became the only legal path for a 13-year-old. This is why you will often see the youngest records tied specifically to the Tibet side.

For trekkers, the routes also differ in feel and logistics. If you are only heading to base camp rather than the summit, see our guides to the Everest Base Camp trek itinerary and the always-popular question of how long it takes to climb Everest for context on time and effort.

Nepal's changing age rules

The age limits that shaped these records are still evolving. Nepal long held the line at 16 from its side. New regulations announced for the 2025 season raise the minimum climbing age to 18. Coverage of the changes also points to other tightened requirements, such as proof of a prior high-altitude summit in Nepal before an Everest permit is issued.

If those rules hold and Tibet maintains its own restrictions, the teenage records set by Romero and Purna may stand for a very long time, simply because there would be no legal route for a 13-year-old to attempt the mountain. For the latest on permits and regulations, our pieces on the new Everest climbing rules for 2025 and the Everest summit permit cover what climbers face today.

It is also worth separating these summit records from the realities of the mountain. Everest remains dangerous at any age, and our honest look at how many people die on Everest is a useful counterweight to the record-chasing headlines.

What these records really tell us

The age records on Everest are striking, but they are not an invitation. A 13-year-old reaching the summit, or an 80-year-old doing it three times, reflects years of preparation, expert teams, supplemental oxygen, and a great deal of luck with weather and conditions. None of these climbs were casual.

For most visitors to Nepal, the meaningful Everest experience is not the summit at all but the trek to its base, the teahouses along the way, and the view of the peak from places like Kala Patthar. The records are a reminder of what is humanly possible at the extremes, while the trekking trails remain open to ordinary travellers of almost any age.

Sources

• Jordan Romero - Wikipedia
• Jordan Romero, 13, Youngest To Scale Everest - NPR
• Yuichiro Miura, oldest man to climb Everest - Guinness World Records
• Oldest person to climb Mt Everest (male) - Guinness World Records
• Yuichiro Miura - Wikipedia
• Malavath Purna - Wikipedia
• 13-year-old Malavath Purna becomes youngest female to top Everest - CBS News
• Youngest and oldest to climb Mt Everest - Facts and Details
• New Everest Climbing Rules 2025: Age, Oxygen and Bans Explained