Ueli Steck and Don Bowie have topped out on Cho Oyu, reaching the summit yesterday and nabbing the second 8000 meter peak in just 18 days for Steck. Details remain a bit light at the moment, and the home teams for both men say that they are still returning to Base Camp, where we are likely to get more information, and possibly summit photos this time out.
Back on April 18th, Ueli made a speed climb of Shisha Pangma (8013 m/26,289 ft), going tent-to-tent in under 20 hours. That was just the warm-up for the Swiss climber however, as he immediately left that mountain for Cho Oyu, where he and Don have apparently made another light and fast alpine style ascent. Standing 8201 meters (26,906 ft) in height, Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world.
Up next, the duo will head over to Everest to try their luck on the tallest of the 8000 meter peaks. They’ll likely arrive just in time as well. With the route to the summit in place, most teams are waiting for a weather window to begin their climb. I’m guessing Don and Ueli will wait out the crowds and rest up in Base Camp, before making another ascent. They’ll probably want everyone out of their way once they get moving.
Congrats to Ueli and Don on a job well done. Two 8000 meter peaks in the span of less than three weeks is pretty impressive stuff.
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Ueli Stek is doing great. Waiting to hear about his Everest summit that also makes his 3rd 8000m summit in the season.
>Back on April 18th, Ueli made a >speed climb of Shisha Pangma (8013 >m/26,289 ft), going tent-to-tent in >under 20 hours.
What does 'under 20 hours mean'. A guess for the time? About 20 hours. Doesn't a 'speed climb' involve an actual time? with exact hours and minutes? How can an approximation of time stand for anything important.
Pstar: The 20 hours tent-to-tent is the best we know for a time right now, and we're unsure if there was any kind of official time keeping.
It is possible to make a speed climb without going for some record. I think Ueli cares more about his climbs personally than he does about getting his name in a record book.
"Don and Ueli will wait out the crowds and rest up in Base Camp, before making another ascent. They'll probably want everyone out of their way once they get moving."
Didn't realize there were so many climbers heading up the mountain at once.
Adventure Junkie said…
I think Ueli cares more about his climbs personally than he does about getting his name in a record book.
I once thought this. For many climbers. They also often write this on their websites. But, but, it's not true. They literally run to the press-media full speed after climbs. They love press, articles, newsreleases. They tell the press what they did. Dozens of press. They also have people who tell the press for them. They also tell their sponsors, who then tell the press. 30-50+ articles in days.
This is what Stangl said to Explorers Web and others tryign to defend his K2 climb (later proven untrue/fraud). I can't find the story now. He kept saying 'I climb for myself, I dont' care what others things' and on and on.
He is on his own defined journey, no matter what the press or others may say. What he creates along the way is his own… However it goes, it is very impressive climbing!
DSD
He seeks publicity with great effort.
Like Christian Stangl, his website's are designed to target publicity and sponsors. His websites are not for himself. They are aggressive advertisements.
It's sad but almost certainly, most of these 'records' such as his Shisha claim are not true.
Photos at the summit? None for Ueli on Shishapangma? But tons of him at basecamp, including tons of video at basecamp. A once-in-a-life experience at the summit of Shisha but no photo for even his personal memory? Countless record-claimers do the same thing.
Yeah. Tons of photos everywhere, Except, the summit of Shisha Pangma.
I'd want a photo of myself at the summit of an 8000m peak. For my personal memory, for friends and family. It's one of the 14 tallest peaks in the world. He did it one time. Might never go there again. No photo at the Summit? Very depressing but I fear these claims — like Christian Stangl's — are criminal fraud, 'er almost like this. Civil fraud. Crime against the mountaineering community. Ruining of parts of climbing history.
Were you able to contact Elizabeth Hawley about Pemba Dorji, sorry I can't recall the post-article on this. Planet Mountain is looking into Ueli's claim of Shishapangma, Nicholas at info@planetmountain.com Could you confer with them about this?
Confusing and, sorry, but something is wrong. Ueli gives two speedclimb times. Here they are.
(1) From the Bergshrund to Summit.
(2) From ABC to Summit to ABC. (Advance Base Camp).
Why isn't his speed ascent from ABC to Summit?
Or, why isn't his speed ascent-descent from the Bergshrund to Summit to ABC?
He seems to chose what he wants with his starting points. AN ASCENT OF SHISHAPANGMA STARTS FROM ABC, NOT THE BERGSHRUND. Ueli, himself, reports his ascent-descent as from ABC-Summit-ABC.
Ueli, please be more honest with your reporting and claims.
He has reported his "about 20 hour" ascent-descent time to the international media and on his website. http://www.himalayaspeed.com/2011/04/ueli-reports-on-shisha-pangma-ascent/
This is from ABC-Summit-ABC.
Yet, he reports the ascent portion of his climb as not from ABC-Summit, but instead, from Bergshrunde-Summit.
? Deceptive in order to make his time look faster?