11-year-old climber becomes youngest American to scale Alps Matterhorn peak

Sam Evermore became the youngest American to climb the Alps’ Matterhorn peak over the weekend, only three years after he became the youngest person to scale the El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park.

The 11-year-old Evermore and his father, Joe, ascended the approximately 15,000-foot mountain after more than a year of preparation and one previous failed attempt due to weather conditions, according to ABC News. The Evermore duo carried an American flag along with them, posing with it at the peak of the Matterhorn.

“I’m hoping that my story inspires fathers and sons to get out and do something that seems impossible,” Joe Evermore said to ABC News.

“It felt so good,” Sam Evermore said to ABC News about the ascent. “We had been working on it for two years.”

The Evermore family sets a “colossal goal” for each of their four boys once they turn five, according to ABC News. The goal must be achievable, safe and something the boys can work toward each day, Joe Everman told the outlet.

“There’s part of it that was also a little sad,” Joe said to ABC News about the summit. “Our relationship has really enjoyed spending all this time getting ready for this mountain, and when you get there, there’s this afterglow of getting it done, but it’s also kind of sad because the mission is accomplished.”

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