BOISE, Idaho — After summiting Mount Everest, Andrea Dorantes set the record for being the youngest Latina, and 1 of only 8 women from Mexico in the world to do so.
“You know when you have a target and you just work towards it, at the end you’re going to make it,” says Dorantes.
This accomplishment was the peak of her Seven Summit journey.
Idaho News 6 connected with Dorantes while she was starting her intensive journey. In the late summer of 2022, she had already climbed three of the Seven Summits, now she has completed them all.
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Leading up to Everest, she climbed the highest peaks of each continent. Some of those being, “Aconcagua in Argentina, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Russia, and Vinson [Massif] In Antarctica.”
Dorantes says she owes her love of adventure to the experiences she gained while enrolled at BSU, where she got involved with the campus recreation and outdoor program.
“I grew up in the city, so I didn’t have any access to the outdoors, so it wasn’t until I moved to Idaho that this world opened up. I loved that I started rafting, skiing, hiking, mountain biking, you know, all the cool things you can do in Boise,” says Dorantes.
While Dorantes is proud to represent women in the climbing community, “I didn’t let my age or my gender [stop me]. We can always have excuses to not do things, but for me, it’s like in my mind ... it’s clear I am going to do something. So even if I have some obstacles in the way, I am just going to keep going and do it my way,”
She hopes her journey inspires the next generation, “To be honest, it’s really cool that I get to be, for right now, the youngest. But my dream is to have someone younger than me break that record,” says Dorantes.
When asked what she has planned next, Dorantes said, “I also want to start jumping off planes, so that’s something I want to do.”
You can follow along with her adventures on her Instagram profile @andydorantesmx
