Extreme Mountaineering or Extreme BS? I think the latter...

baltimoremagazine.net/2015/…

facebook.com/14Summits

6summitschallenge.com/

They're really trying to re-brand this and pull things together.

I fully support the goal of raising awareness of human trafficking but I still can't get on board with the whole PR stunt.

They have a whole team listed on the 6summits site now and they're using Phurba and Russel Brice.

From the FAQ:

"What is your climbing style?

We are challenging ourselves to climb six of the world’s tallest mountains in 2015. If successful, this will be a record number of 8000-meter ascents in one calendar year. Our efforts are focused on the techniques and opportunities that will help us accomplish this goal. As mountaineers, we know that style is incredibly important to our community. That’s why we’re 100% up front about the fact that we’re going to use oxygen when our bodies need it; that we will employ high altitude Sherpa’s on every mountain; and that the core team will travel between some base camps with helicopters, to save time. We will be climbing on the normal routes on all of the mountains, often using fixed ropes to manage the risks. We recognize that many great climbers have come before us to establish those routes and set the precedents, techniques, and styles that we will follow. It is an honor to simply follow in the historic footsteps of generations of mountaineers."

"Why don’t you just skip climbing mountains and give all that money to charity?

For an issue that does not have nearly the awareness of other global problems, raising money is extremely difficult. The platform we have developed is to raise awareness so that charitable giving to the issue of child sex trafficking can become easier. The 70,000-foot challenge is poised to generate significantly more than the cost of the expedition. By creating a global audience of millions of followers with compelling, authentic content, we keep the mission of combating child slavery front and center. Then, not only are our sponsors engaged charitably, our audience is too, allowing for incredible fundraising opportunities to open. "

New Discovery Channel show coming in 2016??

Mark Ra wrote: "Why don’t you just skip climbing mountains and give all that money to charity?

Because they need someone to pay for their trip.

I'm sorry, maybe I'm a skeptic, but I just see this and most trips like it as self-serving. They want to go on their trip, can't figure out how to pay for it, so they sucker people into donating. The whole money to raise awareness/fight human trafficking thing is a side benefit.

I try to keep my climbing trips and my charity work separate...

coppolillo wrote: This is going to be a high-altitude gong show...bets on when they pull the plug and how they spin it?

Wasn't it originally supposed to be 14 peaks in 2014?

articles.baltimoresun.com/2…

"The Plan: What he's climbing next

Between 2014 and 2015, Nick Cienski and a team of climbers will scale 14 of the world's highest mountains. He and his team are currently focused on the first leg of his trip: the six mountains they will climb during 2014. This is their schedule for the next year:

April: Makalu (27,776 feet, Nepal)

May: Kanchenjunga (28,169 feet, Nepal)

May: Mount Everest (29,029 feet, Nepal)

May: Lhotse (27,940 feet, Nepal)

October: Shishapangma (26,289 feet, Tibet)

October/November: Cho Oyu (26,906 feet, Tibet)

In 2015, Cienski will travel to Nepal and Pakistan to climb eight more mountains, ranging between 26,360 feet and 28,250 feet."

Oh I see, it's these 6 peaks in 2014, and another 8 in 2015.

http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/2015/2/3/q-a-with-nick-cienski-of-mission-14

Wait, no... it's 6 peaks in 2015? What happened to the 6 that he was supposed to climb last year, do you think he's just being modest about it?

mission14.org/

Oh, I guess "Mission 14" is about climbing 6 peaks in 2015. The change of plans is just completely glossed over, no mention of it. I wonder if anyone asked for their money back. Or maybe they will when it becomes "Mission 14 is about climbing 2 or 3 peaks in 2016"

According to the Mission (Impossible) 14's most recent 990 they brought in $78,224 in revenue and spent $43,290 leaving them $34,934 in the bank. Not enough to fund even one person on Everest.
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who needs money when you can transcend all?

"It would be pretty cool for you to complete this Mission and set some records, but I see that's not what matters to you the most.

Absolutely. I don't need to do this. I've got a great job here at Under Armour, I've got a beautiful wife, I've got a very nice, happy life here and I certainly don't need to put it all at risk for this. I did my climbing back when I was 20, if I really wanted to go climb mountains I would have kept climbing. This isn't because Nick Cienski wants to stand on six mountain summits. Four years of getting this off the ground was an incredible amount of work and there's no way I would do it just for standing on a summit. It has to be bigger than that."

Oh the lolz. Clearly all he cares about are his six figures a year job at UA and his hot ass wife. Only douchebags refer to themselves in the third person!

Despite all, Nick won't give up!
ndtv.com/world-news/after-q…

TBH, I would probably be reluctant to give up hope of continuing my Everest climb, as well, but the reality of the situation is that Nick and his team are heavily reliant on Sherpa support, and clearly the Sherpa need to focus on helping their families and friends recover from the devastation, rather than helping Nick up the mountain. Ultimately, one has to be willing to put one's own personal ambitions on hold, given the crushing need that so many others are facing.

Another consideration: his cause is (supposedly) founded on an altruistic desire to help children (i.e. to raise awareness for child sex trafficking). Well, I would argue that there are now thousands of children nearby who are in desperate need of assistance, and I hope he redirects his efforts to helping them.

Seems like Nick's home town of Baltimore could use a little help now as well.

Good shameless plug for his human trafficking project on the heels of the avalanche in EBC.

vimeo.com/126330316

Nick's campaign to reduce human trafficking came to a crescendo when an earthquake reduced the human traffic on Mt. Everest. Que heroic soundtrack.

Greg Petliski wrote:How many of us wouldnt take his place? Sure, its fun to hate from our computers, but most of us would jump at the chance.

Being taken up a mountain behind a million dollars worth of guides, sherpas, fixed lines, and equipment is not at all my idea of a good climbing trip. Clearly some people enjoy that but I doubt that is the case for most climbers on MP.

Aaron S wrote: Being taken up a mountain behind a million dollars worth of guides, sherpas, fixed lines, and equipment is not at all my idea of a good climbing trip. Clearly some people enjoy that but I doubt that is the case for most climbers on MP.

I doubt many on MP have $80,000 to spend on vacation.

Ben Beckerich wrote:I gotta reveal my ignorance, then.. I don't know anything about their stunts, nor did I know there was any kind of Tapout-like following of UA enthusiasts. I just wear the stuff for its intended purpose.

It's okay man. I wear capri's for their intended purpose... MP tried to ruin that for me as well..

This original post is dated now, but when when it was topical I posted some information on human trafficking, as I consult on anti-trafficking efforts for governmental and private organizations.

If you are interested in the topic, I recently released my book, The Essential Abolitionist: What you need to know about human trafficking & modern slavery. Here is the Amazon page.

amazon.com/The-Essential-Ab…

Does the book include a muscle mapping shirt?