BSU alum climbing the seven summits

BOISE, Idaho — Climbing a mountain is hard. Climbing the seven highest — that’s next level.

Before Andrea Dorantes moved to the US, Boise State University was little more than a Google result.

"Like, honestly, I didn’t know anything about Idaho," Dorantes said.

The Mexico native grew-up playing soccer but had since decided to focus on skiing.

Once on campus, she joined BSU's Outdoor Program, a recreational program that introduces students to outdoor activities with trips and clinics.

"This is everything that I always wanted to do but I didn’t even know it existed before. I’d never gone backpacking or rafting or anything," she said.

Soon, though, Dorantes went from a novice to an advanced outdoor enthusiast.

"I applied to the program got the job and ever since my world just changed. I became a raft guide, I became a ski instructor, it opened up all these opportunities for me," she said.

When COVID-19 hit, she found herself back home.

"And I actually climbed my first mountain in Mexico," Dorantes said. "When I reached the summit and I saw the sunrise it was like everything clicked. I wanted to do more of this."

She didn’t stop there.

"I want to climb the seven summits," she said.

The seven summits, or the highest mountain on each continent.

"So far I've done three out of seven," she said.

If Dorantes completes her goal, she would make it into the record books, but insists for her, it’s not about the record — it’s about the climb.

"I would be the youngest Latin American to achieve this," she said. "What I want to show is that anyone can do it. You just have to set your mind to do something. And then you just move forward and take a step every day. If you do that it doesn’t matter how long it takes you’ll eventually get there."