The youngest woman to climb the Seven Summits was 17, and her dad climbed every one
Emma Schwerin summited Everest on 15 May 2025 aged 17 years, 2 months and 24 days, finishing the Seven Summits with her father beside her on every peak.
At a glance
- Published · updated
- TopicRecords & People
- Verified againstBozeman Daily Chronicle
- Treks coveredEverest Base Camp Trek — 12 Days, Everest Base Camp Trek — 14 Days, Nepal Family Trek — 8 Days Kathmandu + Poon Hill
Emma Schwerin of Bozeman, Montana, became the youngest woman ever to climb the Seven Summits when she reached the top of Everest on 15 May 2025, aged 17 years, 2 months and 24 days. Her father, Sam, climbed every one of the seven beside her, making them the first father-daughter team to finish the set together.
Key facts
- Everest summit on 15 May 2025, at 17 years, 2 months and 24 days.
- Youngest woman to complete the Seven Summits, and the youngest American woman to summit Everest.
- Her father, Sam Schwerin, climbed all seven with her.
- The project took 18 months, from Kosciuszko in November 2023 to Everest.
It started with a trek to Base Camp
Her first step toward the Seven Summits was a family holiday: an ordinary walk to Everest Base Camp. Emma was in eighth grade when her class studied Everest; her family was already planning a Nepal trip, and after they trekked to Base Camp together she came home with a goal most adults would call unrealistic.
Eighteen months after her first summit she stood on the seventh, with frostbite creeping across her face and her father beside her, as he had been on every other top.
Two records at once
She took the Seven Summits record from India’s Kaamya Karthikeyan and the American Everest record from Lucy Westlake. Kaamya had held the youngest-woman Seven Summits mark since 2024.
| Peak | Continent | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Kosciuszko | Oceania | Nov 2023 |
| Kilimanjaro | Africa | Jan 2024 |
| Denali | North America | Jun 2024 |
| Mont Blanc | Europe | Jul 2024 |
| Aconcagua | South America | Dec 2024 |
| Vinson | Antarctica | Dec 2024 |
| Everest | Asia | 15 May 2025 |
Why Mont Blanc and not Elbrus
Because Elbrus, in Russia, is currently off-limits to American climbers, so Mont Blanc stood in as her European summit. The traditional Seven Summits list uses Elbrus; the substitution was made for access, not difficulty, and has been accepted for her record.
Each mountain tested her differently. Denali was the most physically punishing; Aconcagua’s winds left the summit in doubt until the last day. Everest was not more dangerous in any single moment, but longer, colder and more draining: two months on the mountain in stages rather than one hard day.
What this means for trekkers
You do not need to be 17 or chasing a record to take the step that started it: a guided walk to Everest Base Camp. It involves no technical climbing, and the only permits are the Sagarmatha National Park fee and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu municipality permit — details here.
What this means for you
Families with teenagers often ask which itinerary suits a first big trip. Our 12-day Everest Base Camp route and the 8-day Nepal family package are built with that pacing in mind — enough altitude and adventure to be memorable without Emma’s training schedule. The full 14-day trek adds acclimatisation days.
Sources: Bozeman Daily Chronicle; Gripped; KBZK.
Cover photo via Pexels (Pexels License). Section photos: Quang Nguyen Vinh via Pexels (Pexels licence); Suliman Sallehi via Pexels (Pexels licence); Giuseppe Paoletti via Pexels (Pexels licence).
Still running this season
Everest Base Camp Trek — 12 Days is running normally
NMA-certified local guides, transparent pricing, 5,000+ treks since 1998. Message us your dates and we'll sort the permits, lodges and logistics — reply within 24 hours, no obligation.
Popular Nepal treks
All treks →
Related coverage
Records & People
Eight Sherpas Build the Path Every Everest Climber Walks, and This Spring One Ice Tower Stopped Them for 19 Days
The Icefall Doctors fix the ladders and ropes through the Khumbu Icefall each spring, and in 2026 a 28-metre serac made it the latest route opening in years.
Records & People
Everest records, from the fastest ascent to the most summits by one person
Mount Everest's verified record book — who has summited most, who was oldest and youngest on top, and the fastest ascent ever timed, with every name, number and year sourced.
Records & People
Nobody tells you Everest can only be climbed a few days a year, and the jet stream is why
For most of the year the jet stream sits on Everest’s summit. It lifts for a few weeks in May as the monsoon pushes it aside, and only then can anyone climb.
Records & People
Nobody tells you what it really costs to climb Everest so I added up every dollar
Why a guided Everest expedition runs from about US$35,000 to well over US$100,000 — the permit, the oxygen, the Sherpa team and the logistics, line by line, with real 2026 numbers.
Latest from the desk
Breaking Safety & Advisories
An Avalanche Buried Himlung Himal's Base Camp in Nepal, and Ten Climbers and Staff Are Missing
An avalanche hit Himlung Himal's base camp in Nepal's Manang district on 27 September, and rescuers are searching snow for ten missing climbers and staff.
Money & Insurance
You Could Be Owed Cash From a $167 Million Visa and Mastercard Settlement, Here's How to Check
Visa and Mastercard are paying $167.5 million after allegedly blocking cheaper ATM fees, and the claim deadline is 10 February 2027.
Wildlife & Nature
Chitwan or Bardia, here's which Nepal safari you should actually book
Nepal's 2026 tiger census found record numbers in Chitwan and a rare decline in Bardia, and it changes the honest answer to which safari to book.