Jordan Romero is 13 years old and is climbing a slope on Mount Everest with his father, Paul; his stepmother, Karen; and two Sherpa guides, Ang Pasang and Karma. Below them is a cliff that seems to go off into oblivion. When an avalanche falls over the group, Jordan is hurtled away by the falling snow. His rope starts to break, and he can’t manage to grip his crampons to anything. When the avalanche ends, Jordan stops falling, holding onto the remains of the rope. He screams for his dad, Karen, or anyone, but no one can hear him. He starts to feel like climbing mountains was a mistake.

At the beginning of fourth grade, Jordan went into school and stared at a mural that had always inspired him. It featured the Seven Summits (the world’s tallest mountains), and Jordan had always wondered what it would be like to stand atop them. As someone who gets heavily involved in any interest he has, Jordan took to researching the mountains and how to climb them. He knew his goal would take time but was willing to be patient.