Teen aims to become youngest American to summit Ecuador's highest peak

BY DANETTE BAKER
FOR THE AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

When he returns to school in August, Alec Coffman plans to have a what-I-did-on-my-summer-vacation story unmatched by anyone in the country. By then, the 13-year-old hopes to hold the record as the youngest American to summit Chimborazo, the highest mountain peak in Ecuador.

Alec and his dad, Mark Coffman, expect to make the approximate nine-hour climb to the top of the 20,702-foot mountain during their trip to Ecuador the first week of August.

Robin O'Shaughnessy / A-J Photo Alec Coffman, 13, hopes to summit Chimborazo, the highest mountain peak in Ecuador, next month. If he succeeds, he will be the youngest American to accomplish the feat.

"Thirteen is an extremely young age to attempt a mountain like Chimborazo," said Roger Kovary of New York, who has led 12 climbing expeditions up the mountain since 1999, as well as four to Bolivia and three to Peru through his company, Climb Ecuador. "I know of no other as young as Alec who has attempted or climbed Chimborazo. It will be quite an accomplishment if he summits.

"Even if Alec is not able to summit, this should not be viewed as a defeat in anyway," Kovary said. "The way will still be paved for Alec to pursue other high-altitude challenges. He could continue his mountaineering achievements anywhere on the globe — including returning to Chimbor azo and attempting it again."

Chimborazo's peak is more than 6,000 feet higher than the mountains the Coffmans have climbed during the past two years. Mark said annually they make about eight trips a year to Colorado. On a recent trip, the father-son duo scaled Sunshine Peak and RedCloud Peak, both with summits of just more than 14,000 feet. The tallest mountain Alec has climbed so far was Grays Peak in Colorado, which tops out at 14,270.

Mark said the climbs in Colorado as well as talking to other climbers and "a lot of reading" have prepared them for the mountain in Ecuador. Alec said he has almost memorized "Mountaineering: The Freedom of Hills," which is known as the mountaineer's bible. Other guidebooks, such as "Ecuador — A Climbing Guide" by Yossi Brain, also provide adequate information, the Coffmans said.

Alec said he has been training for the climb by participating in competitive athletics throughout the school year and working out on the climbing wall at the Texas Tech Recreation Center.

Once they get to Ecuador, the Coffmans will enlist the help of locals as guides to map out their routes. Most likely, Coffman said, they will climb two smaller mountains, Rucu Pichincha and Illiniza Norte, whose summits are 15,706 feet and 16,818 feet respectively, in the Cordillera Occidental mountain range before attempting Chimborazo. All three mountains are considered non-technical climbs; however, there are special conditions that can't be discounted, Mark said. They will spend about $1,000 on additional equipment such as boots and thermal clothing designed for higher altitude climbs, he said.

Robin O'Shaughnessy / A-J Photo Alec Coffman works his way up and around the climbing wall at the Texas Tech Recreation Center. He trains frequently in preparation for mountain climbing.

According to Kovary, reaching the top of these mountains does not require a lot of expertise or special equipment. On the trips he guides, the only requirement from participants is that they are in excellent physical condition and have some outdoor hiking, climbing, backpacking and/or camping experience.

"Having prior glacier travel experience, such as with crampons, ice ax, harness and ropes is very useful, but not required because basically you can make the climb without needing to use your hands to pull yourself up," Kovary said. "The most dangerous aspect of the climb has to be the likelihood of an accident such as a fall, falling into a crevasse or getting caught in an avalanche.

"Getting altitude sickness is another possibility, but this is not as severe as the other events and is easily remedied by just descending immediately."

Alec said he feels confident in his quest, but expressed one regret to the plan.

"It's not Mount Everest," he said.

Alec Coffman • Attempting to become the youngest American to climb Chimborazo, the highest point in Ecuador. • 13 years old • Has experience climbing numerous 14ers — 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado with technical rock routes and snow climbs. • Regular visitor to the indoor climbing wall at the Texas Tech Recreation Center. • Wants to climb the tallest mountain in every country eventually. • Established his own company, Smart Alec Adventures, through which he aims to gain sponsorships for his climbs and eventually operate as a mountain guide service.

Initially, a TV special featuring Guinness Book of World Record holders set the younger Coffman on his initial goal to become the youngest American to summit Everest. At 29,035 feet, the mountain in Nepal is the tallest in the world. Jess Roskelley, a student at the University of Montana, holds the record. He was 20 when he and his father, John Roskelley of Spokane, Wash., reached the top in May 2003. At age 15, Temba Tsheri of Nepal is the youngest person to ever climb the mountain, doing so in May of 2001.

"He's just not ready for that now," Mark said. "Chimborazo is tall, but nothing like Everest."

"But I still have time to set that record, too," Alec added.

The blond-haired, blue-eyed teen caught climbing fever about four years ago after his first jaunt up a climbing wall at the Panhandle South Plains Fair.

"I don't know why it surprised me," Mark said. "He's always been a little monkey."

While Alec seemed a little nervous being interviewed, he had no apprehension strapping on his climbing gear and scrambling about 45 feet upward on the vertical climbing wall at Tech, making the activity look as easy as walking across the floor.

"I finally found something I'm good at," he said. "I tried the traditional sports but wasn't very good at them and wasn't really interested in playing them."

Instead, he spends time after school and on the weekends on the climbing wall at Tech, surrounded mostly by college students. There, he's learned to scale just about every part of the three-story wall.

"He's really the only kid that comes here regularly and climbs," said Tim Barnett, an outdoor pursuit center employee for Tech. "There is another girl about his age who comes some, but really it's mostly just adults."

Mark gave Alec a membership at the Rec Center for his birthday about a year ago. Before that, he had introduced his son to the mountains, taking trips during school breaks. The first time out, Mark said, their climb was really more like an 8-mile round trip hike.

"Alec was about 11 then and did a lot of complaining," Mark said. "He kept asking when we were really going to climb a mountain."

With experience in his favor, Alec said he's ready to tackle his goal: climbing the tallest mountain range in every country. Earlier this year, he established his own business, Smart Alec Adventures, as a way to handle sponsorships for his climbs. He estimates the trip to Ecuador, for example, will cost about $5,000.

"Eventually I'd like to have people paying me to take them up a mountain," Alec said. "That's how all the bigshots do it. They serve as guides and get sponsors so they can go do their climbs."

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