In July 2014, Sweeney's nine-year-old son attempted to break the record for the youngest person to summit Mont Blanc. They hired British mountain guide Kenton Cool to lead the crew. On their trek toward the summit they were caught in a sliding snow avalanche and decided not to continue. Sweeney filmed the attempt and the video was shown on Good Morning America, leading to criticism for taking children on dangerous trips. Sweeney said he had no regrets and that the trip was a heck of a lot better than having them sitting at home wasting their minds on Minecraft or TV or something like that. Sweeney was widely criticized for endangering his children. Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of the Saint-Gervais municipality in France that includes Mont Blanc, Europe's highest mountain, was furious when climbing enthusiast Paul Sweeney went on US TV to talk about his exploits. It's a demonstration of vanity and conceit pushed absolutely to the limit, Peillex told reporters after seeing the lurid ABC news clip featuring Sweeny and his children, Shannon and Paul Junior. Sweeney published video of his children almost being swept away on a steep snow-covered slope, saved by being roped into him. They can be heard screaming in terror as this happens.