Youngest to summit a 14er unassisted?

[Aavronle]

Does anyone know what the youngest age is for summiting a 14er unassisted? While we are at it, does anyone know what the youngest age for hiking the incline and back down Barr Trail unassisted, is? I did the incline with my 4 and 6 year old last week and someone said he may be the youngest.

I wasn't surprised he did it. He nearly summited Sherman at 3 completely unassisted. My oldest did summit it unassisted at 5.

[Scott P]

Does anyone know what the youngest age is for summiting a 14er unassisted?

I don't know what the youngest is, but my son Kessler got close to the summit of Belford not long after turning 3 before bad weather turned us around. If it weren't for bad weather we would have made it for sure. By age 3 Kessler could do 12 mile days.

https://14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.p ... m=tripmine

Not long after turning 4, Kessler climbed Windom:

https://14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=2542

He could do 15 mile days at age 4.

By age 5 he had climbed to 17,400 feet (with long and careful acclimatization) and we attempted a 18,609 foot mountain. We didn't make it since it exploded on us:

https://www.summitpost.org/father-and-s ... eru/378565

Our daughter Shaylee was a little slower. She didn't start climbing 14ers until age 5 and it wasn't until age 5 that she could do 11 mile days.

You can see both kid's highest points and what ages they were in the charts below:

https://www.summitpost.org/25-highest-points/991559

https://www.summitpost.org/25-highest-points/991560


Anyway, I don't know if these are records. It's hard to say. Also, I doubt that 4 is the youngest for the Incline. I'd imagine that several 4 years olds have done it, but how would anyone know?

[oldschoolczar]

My 35-month old solo’d Capitol.

My genes rule!

[cedica]

For things like that, 'tis the season to Ask Bobke. Da man from Durango knows everything.

[lordopie]

technically, wouldn't "unassisted" mean they carried every piece of their own gear... water, food, backpack, layers...

[Scott P]

technically, wouldn't "unassisted" mean they carried every piece of their own gear... water, food, backpack, layers...

Technically I guess it could mean that the child did all of the route finding, map reading, and getting to the trailhead as well, but I just tool the question as meaning climbed or hiked without being carried.

[lordopie]

technically, wouldn't "unassisted" mean they carried every piece of their own gear... water, food, backpack, layers...

Technically I guess it could mean that the child did all of the route finding, map reading, and getting to the trailhead as well, but I just tool the question as meaning climbed or hiked without being carried.

well, an unassisted 100 mile bike ride means you carried all your own supplies, not that you built the bike.

:shrug: I make my kids carry their own gear.

[CHWitte]

My brother's 4 year old summited Quandary Peak.

Anyone ever had a 3 year old summit one?

[rpdawes]

I think that unassisted can mean anything, but I doubt that any young kid can make it to a summit without close supervision or guidance by a parent. So it is useless to find out who is the youngest one who summited unassisted.

[Jorts]

Self-propulsion the entire way?

[RBski]

Well, I guess I know what I am doing with my 21 month old this weekend... but I was also thinking I want to have the youngest class 3 14er summiter, well I mean want my daughter to be the youngest class 3 14er summiter of course. So if she has to use her hands on some steps can we change the classifications from class 1 or 2 to class 3? Like Bierstadt is a class 3 if you are under 3 years old? That only seems fair.

#allabouttheinsta

[illusion7il]

Hamilton's son did them all by age 6. not sure how much he was assisted. http://andrewhamilton.com/14ers/?page_id=26

Both of my kids did the incline before there 5th birthday