With all the crazy publicity stunts that go down on Mount Everest every year (like the 13 year old who summitted last week…don’t get me started), I think this is a cool one to watch. I’m always interested in speed ascents and physical challenges and I’ve heard a lot about Chad Kellogg over the years, most recently of his solo mission to establish the “Medicine Budda” route on the South Face of Aconcagua.
Currently, Chad is attempting to set a new speed record for an ascent of Mount Everest from basecamp and back, without the use of oxygen. It appears as though the current speed record for Mount Everest is 18:20, set by Lakpa Gelu Sherpa on May 26, 2003 (10:56:46 to the top) and Chad hopes to break that record any day now.
UPDATE
Follow this url to the most current update from Chad:
http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/05/base-camp-to-balcony-and-back/.
Chad set off to attempt the route this past Sunday, but was forced to turn around due to 40+mph winds at 12hrs at the Balcony area which sits about 1K' above the South Col. It is unclear as to whether he will make another speed attempt or just climb the peak for fun, but let's wish Chad some luck on his next attempt anyway. Follow along with updates at OutdoorResearchVertiCulture.com.
Breaking it down, it took Chad 7hrs to descend back to camp, so added to his ascent time, that equals 19hrs...and not a record breaking time. Now obviously Chad probably wasn't pushing it too hard on the descent, since he didn't make the summit, but to me it sure sounds like Lakpa Sherpa's time of 18:20 is going to be pretty darn hard to beat. Granted the wind may have been slowing him down, but Chad still had 1500'K to go to reach the summit, which probably would have taken another 2-3 hours...really just a guess though. Impressive feat non-the-less Chad and I hope you get another stab at the record. Good Luck!!!
btw…skis might be a little faster on the decent…just another guess though. 8)
Pretty sure Lapka didn’t shoot up dex prior to his climb. From Chad’s interview on Outside, “I’m planning on taking dexamethasone ahead of time.”
ouch! i guess it’s better to be ahead of the curve when it comes to dex and a high altitude speed climb though.
Just like its better to be ahead of the curve and move to CERA instead of EPO…
“With all the crazy publicity stunts that go down on Mount Everest every year (like the 13 year old who summitted last week…don’t get me started)…”
Please, Steve, by all means, get started.
Agreed…I’d like to hear your opinion on the 13 year old.
Bumped into Chad at the Gompa in Tengboche at sunset on May 12th. Beautiful views of Everest—but Sagarmatha was blowing ‘smoke’ at gale force even then.
Had the pleasure of meeting Lakpa Gelu Sherpa on Aconcagua this past winter. That guy is nothing but lungs and legs… Perhaps Kellogg should shoot for the fastest non-Sherpa ascent of all time!
Unicycling to BC from the sea and then snowlerblading it on acid would be a great publicity stunt to get the trip paid for too!
sounds like you’re the man for that challenge ptor!!! 🙂
and regarding the 13yr old and in a nut shell…i find it hard to believe that at 13…a child has the drive, ambition, and creative focus to decide on his own that he wants to climb the 7 summits. maybe i’m wrong, since i don’t have kids….but…
For sure skis would be fatser…. 😉 love the croakies and rocking them. THANkS!
right on gilles…glad you like them!!!
No way that Chad is 13 years old. I don’t beleive it.
I did a search for the Outside interview with Chard mentioning dex. I think this puts it in better perspective. He’s using it to survive the down. That’s perfectly okay in my books. Much better to stay alive than play some medical “ethics” game 🙂
http://outside-blog.away.com/blog/2010/05/everest-chad-kellogg.html
Are you afraid of anything?
I have concerns. The descent from the summit will be a particularly dangerous period, that’s where everybody seems to die and so I’m planning on taking dexamethasone ahead of time so that my brain swelling and pulmonary edema will be at bay. That way I’ll have functioning cognitive ability high on the mountain because descending the ropes carefully with full presence of mind is important, so I don’t miss a clip and fall into Tibet. When it gets dark, when I’ve been going for more than 24 hours it will be interesting descending the Lhotse face in the dark and descending through the Khumbu Icefall in the dark. As a tentative solution I’ll have a buddy descend with me so I don’t do anything stupid.
here is a good update from chad’s speed attempt on everest. pretty humbling.
http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/05/base-camp-to-balcony-and-back/
http://mountaineeringfrauds.wordpress.com
There is definitely some crazyness going on among those making a living on climbing.
http://mountaineeringfrauds.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/failed-everest-summit-2000-below-summit-may-22-23-2010/
Hmm. Kind of surprising ? The jist is it’s another historical liar caught. Tomo Cesan? Dr. Cook?
Btw, your article randosteve has some errors.
Not 12 hours to 27,000′ [balcony]
Not 7 hour descent.
Chad’s dispatch in that mountaineeringfrauds page has 19 hours as time.
No descent. He camped going down at Camp II.
He hired Sherpa too. For Camp IV, Camp III supplies.
He took drugs (Diamox), as yall note here.
tt…that info is from the original update on outdoorresearchverticulture.com. get over it.
I looked too. That’s the last update they did. Original, and final. No correction for about a week. I can c how this s misleading! 12h and 7h. Wrooooong. u 2? No update correction on this? >)-. .<
they updated it with a new post. see….
http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/05/base-camp-to-balcony-and-back/
Home page, still is there under the video box. This is Outdoor Research’s last update.
http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/chad-kellogg/
But they do link to Chad’s dispatch.
But they should fix their last update.
sory wondering why your not doin’ an update.
“Breaking it down, it took Chad 7hrs to descend back to camp, so added to his ascent time, that equals 19hrs…and not a record breaking time.”
He was 2000 vertical feet from the summit.
He didn’t do a descent for time, he camped in the descent
Did you read Chad’s final dispatch
http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/05/base-camp-to-balcony-and-back/
Why is it you’re not doing a revised article?
He was 19 hours to his high point. Not ascent + descent, not 12h + 7h.
People in the media must be Very busy. Keep getting simple facts wrong. Publishing things prematurely, later to be found incorrect.
Not doing updates. Or doing footnote updates, they do nothing.
I believe they like to keep the inaccurate things around. Makes Chad look better. You to Randy.
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