A nine-year-old British boy of Italian descent, Lelio Massimo di Roccasecca dei Volsci, has become the youngest climber to reach the summit of Mont Blanc, Italian newspaper La Stampa reported.
Lelio, who was born in London and lives with his parents in Rome, climbed the 4,807-metre peak on September 4 together with his father, Prince Valerio Massimo di Roccasecca dei Volsci. His father said the climb made the boy the youngest person to reach the summit under his own power, a claim the owner of the Goûter mountain hut confirmed in a letter.
Lelio told reporters it was incredible to see the world at his feet, with the mountains of three countries, Italy, France and Switzerland, spread out before him. After the climb, the family celebrated at the Goûter hut, which sits about a thousand metres below the summit.
Despite the record, di Roccasecca dei Volsci stressed that what matters most to him is his son's love of the mountains rather than the achievement itself. He said it was not about the record, and that Lelio simply loves the mountains.
A family steeped in mountaineering
The prince himself first climbed Mont Blanc at age 14 and later summited Everest, Cho Oyu and K2. Lelio began mountaineering at the age of three, climbed the Gran Sasso in Italy at five, and reached the summit of the Bishorn in Switzerland in 2026.
Mont Blanc, which straddles the border between France and Italy, is the highest mountain in the Alps and one of the most climbed major peaks in the world. The Goûter hut is a well known staging point for climbers making the final push to its summit.
What comes next
Lelio now plans to climb the Eiger and the Matterhorn, two of the Alps' other famous peaks. He has said mountaineering is only a hobby for him, and that he hopes to become a paleontologist in the future.
His family traces its history back to ancient Rome. His 52-year-old father is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and runs an investment business.
