Eberhard Jugalski: Armchair Mountaineer

A man who has never climbed an 8000m peak:

https://www.msn.com/en-US/news/world/renowned-mountaineer-stripped-of-two-guinness-world-records-after-claim-he-was-short-of-summit/ar-AA1hir5U?ocid=sapphireappshare

Ed Viesturs, always the gentleman, has refused the record:

https://explorersweb.com/viesturs-messner/?fbclid=IwAR0Y3SMbTkBfPusscw5KKuSXkZHtM1p0yCIP_X3xuJep5t2x-QtuwhSk5WM

Yeah, pretty silly. You can’t even compare what Messner and Kukuczka did to modern 8000m climbers.
Viesturs has always seemed like a stand up dude. 

Climbing big mountains as fast as possible is more about logistics and manpower than mountaineering, Viesturs said.

Let me fix that:

Climbing big mountains as fast as possible is more about mouth masturbation than mountaineering.

Its fucking Guiness Book of Records for shits sake, no one cares. This is fake news.

Seems pretty wacky to spend so much time "disproving" things. Good thing the best climbers couldn't give a damn if a random dude approves and certifies their climbs. As Messner said:

“The ridge leading to the summit is three kilometers long, Jurgalski simply confused the east summit with the main one… [Jurgalski is] someone in search of attention without having the slightest competence,[...] my alpinism knows no records.” If you read Italian here is were he said it.

Cherokee Nuneswrote:

Its fucking Guiness Book of Records for shits sake, no one cares. This is fake news.

To your point, I think Messner said something like, “how can they take away a Guinness record that I never accepted?”  

Jimmy Strange wrote:

I don’t think you can even compare Kukuczka and Messner. 

I think I know where you’re going with this, not sure. The Poles were fucking badasses, climbing those big peaks in winter, always seeking unclimbed lines, and with virtually no money compared to their Euro and US counterparts. 

Eh, I think it's fine that someone is trying to clarify standards and facts. People trying to nail down the exact truth (for example: historians, journalists, scientists) often get attacked by those who feel invested in what we currently think is the truth.

There's a lot of money sloshing around climbing now, so a lot of incentive for modern climbers to cut corners. I don't think it's that different in spirit from what Elizabeth Hawley set out to do, although obviously she had to rely on interviews back then, not photo/video.

And if you're going to do that sort of rigorous fact-checking, I can see the appeal of trying to apply it completely objectively to everyone equally, even The Greats.

I don't think it takes away from what Messner or any of the giants accomplished. There's a lot more to climbing than standing on the exact summit. And I highly doubt any actual climbers care what it says in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Balewrote:

To your point, I think Messner said something like, “how can they take away a Guinness record that I never accepted?”  

Exactly. Messner gives no shits about the flatlander construct.

MisterE Wolfewrote:

A man who has never climbed an 8000m peak:

https://www.msn.com/en-US/news/world/renowned-mountaineer-stripped-of-two-guinness-world-records-after-claim-he-was-short-of-summit/ar-AA1hir5U?ocid=sapphireappshare

This reads like an Onion article.