ANDREW KING: CLIMBING BETWEEN WORLDS

Mountaineer and adventurer Andrew King is attempting to climb the world’s tallest mountains. If he succeeds, he’ll be the first African American to climb the 14 summits (the seven summits plus the world's seven tallest volcanoes). But “conquering mountains” isn’t his actual goal. He knows that bringing diversity to the outdoors is the real challenge.

“The first mountain I ever climbed was walking from 770 to Asbury Park,” says Andrew King.

The 33-year-old climber, surfer, free diver, and explorer is reflecting on his upbringing in Detroit as a Black American.

“Walking to school every day, you didn’t know what was going to happen.”

King is sitting in his apartment in LA for this interview, candidly explaining his life over a Zoom call. He’s wearing a button up shirt, a sign of his professional career, and a BD beanie, hinting at his more adventurous side. The juxtaposition fits him well, which is telling, because from a young age, King has always attempted to navigate between worlds.

King’s grandfather Warren was a master sergeant in the United States Military, and along with his grandmother Darlene, King joined their household at 11 years old. They first moved to Snellville, Georgia, and it was then that King’s grandfather instilled a deep discipline that still fuels his training and life today.

“I remember him saying, ‘if you want to be good at something, you need to have discipline within yourself to do it.’”

King’s grandfather was “tough” on him, but in reflection, he attributes this to his success today.

The Georgia years for King were short lived, however.

“Someone in middle school called me the ‘n-word’ and I hit him,” remembers King. “I just knocked him straight out.”

His grandparents were concerned. King got suspended from school, though he remembers not really understanding why. And it was during his suspension when he was downstairs playing video games and his grandfather walked into the room.

At roughly 18 years old, King moved to his grandparents’ place on Ewa Beach, Oahu, where they’d been stationed. And to this day, Hawaii is what he considers home. King finally saw people of color participating in the sports he was interested in.

“In Hawaii, you can be brown and surf,” he says. “You still have to prove yourself, but not because the color of your skin.

King took to surfing and liked the aspect of “taking what you’re getting,” while reading waves in the ocean. He also started hiking the volcanoes and peaks of the islands when there weren’t any waves, gaining a love for seeking summits.

But the ocean and mountains would have to wait. King still had dreams to realize.

When King travels to climbing destinations, he also partners with nonprofits and individuals in the area that embody what he describes as a “positive change for tomorrow within nature, while combating racism, sexism, climate change, and economic limitations.”

Three years ago, King moved to LA to be closer to his grandparents and great grandmother Edna Reece while continuing to pursue The Between Worlds Project. He has 11 summits left, and as to be expected, the pandemic has slowed him down. King’s great grandmother passed away from complications of COVID-19 in April—a loss he’s still grieving from.

But the The Between World’s Project is a way to continue everything she and his grandparents taught him.