Ten-Year-Old Climbs Matterhorn
Joe Evermore and his Ten-Year-Old son, Sam set out to climb the most iconic mountain in the world, the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. They can now say they’ve done it. Due to some rock fall from above, which is the leading cause of death for those who attempt to climb the mountain, Sam and his dad didn’t reach the summit, and their team decided it was better to descend after being just 1000 ft. shy of the 15,000 ft. tall mountain. but they came extremely close (see photos).
Here is Sam before the climb, pointing to where he’s headed:
Sam is no doubt the youngest person to ever climb that high on the Matterhorn. The record for reaching the summit is held by someone who was a few days shy of his 12th birthday. At ten years old, Sam is quite likely going to give the Matterhorn another go and get that record. He already holds the record for being the youngest person to climb El Capitan, the tallest sheer mountain face in North America, which he accomplished when he was eight.
In addition to rock fall, descending the Matterhorn is particularly dangerous. Here is some of what Joe posted on social media about their descent:
“Turning back on a mountain that you have been losing sleep over is not an easy task, but our number one priority was to all come back alive with a great story to tell, number two was to crest the summit. And coming down the Matterhorn is by far the most difficult and dangerous part of the journey. In fact when it was first climbed by a party of seven in 1865, four members of the team perished on the way down. To this day most mountain accidents happen on the descent when people are most fatigued. This is a unique mountain that cannot be easily rappelled. You have to down climb it and it’s full of booby traps, loose rocks that can quickly guillotine the climbers below you if you make the mistake of knocking one off.”
Click the link to see if you recognize the mountain Sam climbed!
Matterhorn – Wikipedia
Check out these NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN videos and photos from Sam’s previous climb at El Capitan!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Su4grNeYJBxIj3hnNUwf5wGR1wpJfRjH/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1neosGyese9AwR6ECt-1Xn3NsHF55AmR0/view?usp=sharing
Q&A
- ** What is rockfall and how did that impact your decision to turn back?
- ** Did the presence of other climbers make things dicier? Do you think you would have continued if not for other climbers being there?
- ** What are some of the things that you and Sam experienced on your climb?
- ** I understand you may have been more concerned about the descent than the climb itself. Can you tell us why that is?
- ** Is it true that you get a lot of haters on social media who claim you are putting your son in danger? Do you think the fact that you decided to turn back due to safety concerns will shut them up?
- **What is it like climbing these mountains with your young son?
- **How have these experiences drawn your family closer?
- **How have people responded to your adventures? Do you find them mostly supportive?
- What are some of the unexpected things you encountered when climbing El Capitan?
- What do you teach your kids about fear?
- I understand you not only encourage your kids to set goals, but you also have RULES for every goal. Can you talk about that?
Watch a Podcast Interview with Joe
https://youtu.be/1SdaKx9WOpE?si=STNWk8SktajgF26E
About Sam, Joe, and the Evermores…
Sam is a kid who loves to climb mountains with his dad. Each rock face they scale is one more chance to get to the top, look out over the world, holler, “Whoop!” and give out high fives. He’s been doing this since he was three years old.
But to dad, Joe, their tandem climbs each have a different purpose. Each mountain is intended to be another challenge that Sam will learn to overcome. Joe is banking each ascent, creating a stash of victories upon which Sam can make withdrawals throughout his life, so he can not only climb a few mountains, but move a few too.
To learn more, go to Sam Adventure!
Sam Adventure
Here is a link to a video showing Sam’s training regimen
https://youtu.be/FBK-R6Me8iU?si=QSSvDlp10rHB5mjR
MEDIA CONTACT: Todd Baumann at 512-966-0983 or Todd@specialguests.com
