BOISE, Idaho — When Boise State University graduate Andrea Dorantes became the youngest Mexican woman to climb Mount Everest, she decided she wasn't done.
But Dorantes, 26, didn't always have a passion for the outdoors. She grew up playing soccer in Mexico, and had dreams of taking soccer to the next level.
"My dream was to go to the U.S. and get a scholarship to play soccer over there,” Dorantes said.
After a couple years of playing at the college level, that dream faded away.
"I was in the midwest playing for two years and then I realized I was not enjoying it anymore, and I was like, 'what's next for me?’" Dorantes said.
It was those questions that helped lead her to her next quest, which landed her in Idaho. Dorantes began googling schools near ski resorts, and behold -- she came across Boise State University
Dorantes said she stepped out of her comfort zone and started working as a trip leader for BSU’s Outdoor Program. At first, it was confusing, she said.
"I've never been camping, I live in a city,” Dorantes said. “How am I going to be a guide?”
Little did Dorantes know -- that that job would change her life. It "opened up a world" for her and blew her mind, she said.
It's just something "you can't put into words," she told KTVB.
After graduating from BSU, Dorantes pursued a career outdoors. She moved back home to Mexico after the COVID-19 pandemic, where she climbed her first mountain.
"Pico Orizaba is the third highest peak in North America; it's a big mountain. I really loved it, I felt something in my body that I've never felt before,” Dorantes said. “I was like 'this is it, I want to keep climbing, climbing, climbing."
Dorantes made it her mission to climb the highest mountains of each of the seven traditional continents, also known as the seven summits.
"It's a state of adrenaline and too many emotions. It’s that opportunity to see how far we can go and what we are capable of,” Dorantes said.
Her latest climb was Mount Everest -- Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It’s a challenge not everyone gets to complete.
During the course of the trip up the mountain, three people in Dorantes' group died. Twenty seven survived. And 26 of those people experienced frostbite.
"I felt pretty lucky," Dorantes said.
To date, she is the youngest Mexican woman to climb Mount Everest, but she has more plans. Dorantes will be climbing the last summit in Russia — earning her the title of youngest Latin American woman to complete all seven.
She said it’s an honor to represent her culture and those who have always dreamed of climbing.
"You want to make sure that you go as best prepared as possible -- physically, mentally, everything, because there are so many factors you can't control," Dorantes said. "So, the factors that are on your hand, you have them covered.”
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