MountEverest.net is reporting that Spanish climber Jorge Egocheaga has set a new speed record on Aconcagua. Egocheaga covered the distance between Valle de Horcones summit and back in 14 hours, 5 minutes and 54 seconds, shattering the old record by nearly an hour.
Egocheaga, who also happens to be an medical doctor, has been making a name for himself in climbing circles the past few years as he tackles some of the higher mountains all over the World. He’s is fast and agile on the mountain, seems tireless, and doesn’t seem to have an issue with the low oxygen levels at altitude.
The most impressive part of this story for me? Is that on his descent, even though he was going for a speed record, the Spaniard still stopped to offer assistance to a climber in need. That’s what climbing is all about, and we could use a little more of that spirit on the mountains.
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Most likely a fradulent record-claim by Jorge.
He claims to beat the previous record not by 1hr, but by several hours.
He has no witness to his Start, Summit, Finish.
He has no photos at his Start, Summit, Finish.
Only witness are at Base Camp Plaza de Mulas, and possible a couple people slightly higher.
Fradulent speed record claims are prevalent, such as Chad Kellogg in your US who is the world’s most intensive multi-fradulent record claimer with fraud claims on Denali in 03′ and two on Rainier 98′ 04′ Incredible proof arose shooting each down systematically. On Denali he tried to play off his friends on one another to conjure a time, telling one what the other said, and the other what the other said, whereas he misrepresented each taking advantage of their trust in him. They Mark Westman and Lisa Roderick are his good friends and were basecamp managers at the time.
Yeah, the Chad Kellog incidences are fairly well known. He even seems to have also forged times in a couple of log books along the way.
Mountaineering records like this one are often put out their on the honor system, but under direct scrutiny, sometimes they don’t hold up.
It certainly is odd that he has no photographs, witnesses, or evidence of any kind. Do you have a link to a story refuting his claims? I’m happy to post it.
Several people have submitted complaints/disputes of Jorge’s Aconcagua claim. To everestnews.com and especially one of the main covering people mounteverest.net Tina and Tom Sjorgen, also Climbing Magazine who covered it. None have replied to these questions, basic questions. No reply to anyone. They even haven’t replied to the error of the margin of time he beat the previous person.
This is one email to them that is being fwd’d around to these people, maybe your and others writing as well will do something
ddewell@climbing.com msamet@climbing.com
team@explorersweb.com
tt@explorersweb.com
everestnews@adelphia.net
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Hello ExplorersWeb,
Regarding Jorge’s claimed record of Aconcagua, in your article you write:
“He covered the distance between Valle de Horcones summit and back in 14 hours, 5 minutes and 54 seconds â almost one hour faster than previous.”
Actually, the previous record claim by Holmes was 20hrs 35min from Horcones to the summit and back. So Jorge is claiming he beat Holmes by 6hrs 30mins, not “almost one hour”.
Also, Holmes reached the summit in 13hrs he claimed, and Jorge in 7hrs:52mins, so Jorge says he beat Holmes to the summit by 5 hours 8 minutes.
Once source for this, Climbing Magazine: http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/aconcaguaspeed06/
You comment re Jorge is shy and modest about his records and doesn’t promote himself. He lets others do it for him and agressively so. And he knows they will, this is why he quickly reports his record-claims to them immediately – and then they go to the press immediately to promote him. If Jorge wasn’t interested in self-promotion he wouldn’t advertise his record claims wouldn’t tell anyone — or, would tell his friends to absolutely not tell any press. An agressive self-promoter strategically giving the impression he isn’t so. Exactly like Chad K. and many others in this specialized field. Incredible and crafty, and much like Chad Kellogg who is perhaps the most astounding multi-fraud committer in world history for speed records, most notably and increduously for Denali in 2003 and also Rainier (twice, 1998 and 2004).
You try to make it look like there is verification for his record — you write —
“It’s a small BC – no way to keep it secret”
However, this means nothing about whether the key points of his climb were in fact a secret, namely (1) his start, (2) the summit, (3) his finish. All are totally unwitnessed, no photos, no timers. Has Jorge submitted any start, summit, or finish photos, especially summit photos? No press covering this to date has published any. Can you request from him who witnessed him start at Horcones way below BC, who saw him at the summit, if he has any summit photos, and who saw him finish, and to provide all of these people’s names and contact information.
At least Holmes has a summit photo and summit witnesses http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=1561. Although many considered Holmes’s report to beat Benegas’s round-trip record by 2hrs:25mins was very suspicous in light of Benegas’s proven distinguished athletic performances in competitive endurance sports. This is not the case in any sense with Holmes or Jorge. Benegas reported 23hrs roundtrip (can’t find any reports of his summit split time).
So Jorge is also reporting he beat Benegas round-trip by 8hrs:55mins.
It is thought that Jorge’s record claim is highly fradulent.
These 7 summit record claims, from the horrific Sherpa (the most recent record claimer Pemba Dorji being jailed for months due to his direct involvement in a horrible kidnapping/ransom scam), Chad Kellogg, Sean Burch’s proven fradulent Kilimanjaro climb (http://www.teamkilimanjaro.co.uk/seanburch.html), and it appears Christan Stangl has been engaging in fraud on several major peaks including submitting summit photos of only his head with no mountain surface or background shown, also the absence of summit photos on many major peaks like Everest where it is very standard and expected for such historic events, and how Stangl was challenged to enter the Elbrus race after claiming an Elbrus record (he entered and promoted his entry, then bowed out at the last minute despite his entry being publicized on many major international websites).
The sport is a mockery. Seems it does a substantial number of climbers (whether speed climbers or not) are just very dishonest people who very often embellish, lie, deceive, conjure, etcetra.
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Adventure Junkie said…
Yeah, the Chad Kellogg incidences are fairly well known. He even seems to have also forged times in a couple of log books along the way.
Mountaineering records like this one are often put out their on the honor system, but under direct scrutiny, sometimes they don’t hold up.
It certainly is odd that he has no photographs, witnesses, or evidence of any kind. Do you have a link to a story refuting his claims? I’m happy to post it.
8:38 PM
you don’t know what you are talking about.
You want evidence? It`s as easy as to type “egocheaga aconcagua” on google and search for images. You’ll see him on the summit.
Hard to investigate, though, I understand…
Photos on the summit are one thing but proof of a record is quite another. No one seems to be disputing reaching the summit, I'm sure he's quite capable, however, without a well documented start and finish claims of a record are just plain irresponsible.