Malibu Teen Tackles Everest

It’s Boy vs. Mountain: Johnny Strange, a 17-year-old from Malibu, is preparing to take on Mount Everest. Success would mean he’d be the youngest Westerner to reach the summit; the current record-holder is a 15-year-old Nepalese Sherpa. Strange is hoping to become the youngest person to climb the highest peaks on each continent, dubbed the Seven Summits. After the 29,035-foot Everest, he’ll have only Australia’s 7,310-foot Mount Kosciuskzo to go. Everest has killed about 200 climbers, but as Strange said, “If there wasn’t risk, it wouldn’t be fun.” He’s preparing for the trip with his 53-year-old father, Brian, a prominent consumer affairs attorney.