On Aug. 6, 2023, Andrea Dorantes stood 18,510 feet above sea level, atop Mount Elbrus in Russia. It marked the completion of a trek that began less than two years earlier with a passion for wildland adventure sparked at Boise State. Dorantes had climbed the highest peaks on all seven continents.
“It’s hard to take it all in,” Dorantes (BBA, finance, 2019) said. “Sometimes I can’t believe I did it in less than two years. It was a big goal, but I never took my eyes off the target. Now I have the certainty I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to.”
In May 2023, Dorantes summited the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest (29,032 feet). It took 45 days for her expedition to reach the top. Because of a storm, she could only stay at the summit for five minutes. “But it’s a moment I’ll never forget,” she said.
Ever the adventurer, Dorantes plans to ski to the North Pole next. She reached the South Pole in January 2023 while in Antarctica climbing 16,050-foot Mount Vinson. She also is writing a children’s book about her seven summits quest.
By Dave Southorn