Video Interview with 12-Year Old Climber Matt Moniz

A local Denver television station conducted an interview with 12-year old climber Matt Moniz, who recently completed his 50 in 50 in 50 climb, in which he and his dad reached the top of the highest points in each of the 50 states in less than 50 days. (It actually only took him 43 days!) In the video, Matt talks about his motivations for climbing and what it was like for he and his dad, as well as their support crew, to travel around the U.S. to climb everything from small mole hills to 20,000+ foot peaks. 

This is a very good interview and the kid comes across as comfortable and genuine on camera. Pretty rare for someone his age, but then again, so is his climbing abilities.

 

50 Peaks, 50 States, 50 Days Update

A couple of weeks back I posted about 12-year old Matt Moniz who was attempting to reach the highest point in all 50 states in less than 50 days. Matt, along with his dad Mike, had dubbed the expedition the 50 in 50 in 50 climb, and when I wrote about their summer trip, they were closing in on the end.

When last we checked in on the father and son climbing team, they were taking on Granite Peak in Montana. That mountain stands 12,799 feet in height, and after a successful summit, the boys got down safely and hopped a flight to Hawaii for the final obstacle in their path – the 13,796 foot tall Mauna Kea.

Since that time, I've been watching their website for updates, and noticed that on Matt's Twitter feed that he and his dad completed their quest back on July 16th. All told, it took them just 43 days, 3 hours, and 51 minutes to complete the high points, beating the old record by more than two and a half days.

Well done young man, and congratulations on the milestone. You've set the bar hight for the rest of your classmates when you return to school in the fall and someone asks, "What did you do on your summer vacation?"

50 Peaks, 50 States, 50 Days

A few weeks back I posted a story about a new Mountain Hardwear sponsored athlete by the name of Matt Moniz, who at the age of 12 has already summitted some big peaks, including Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, and Elbrus. At the time of that story, he had also recently climbed Denali, Mt. Whitney, and Mt. Elbert, all in a span of just 8 days. It turns out, that was just part of his plan to climb the 50 highest points, in all 50 states, in just 50 days. Matt, and his father Mike, have been knocking off those high points in rapid succession, and now have a chance of setting a new record for completing that feat.

According to the 50-50-50 Climb website, the father and son climbing team have now finished 48 of the 50 states. The last update came yesterday, July 12th, at the 38th day of the trip. According to the Hardwear Sessions Blog, Mike and Matt are currently in Montana, where they are taking on Granite Peak, the tallest mountain in that state. If they summit successfully, they'll catch a flight in the next day or two for Hawaii, where they'll climb Mauna Kea, the final obstacle in their path. If the can manage to do that in less than 45 days, 19 hours, and 2 minutes, they'll break the 50 high points in 50 states record, currently held by Mike Haugen, who set the mark back in 2008. 


Good luck guys!