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CHAD KELLOGG WON THE RACE!!!!!! CHAD, WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!! CONGRADULATIONS TO YOU, WE ARE CELEBRATING HERE IN SEATTLE FOR YOU!!!!

Race update from Mounteverest.net: "There's about 9 athletes, all Russian/Kazakh with one American, Chad Kellogg, representing... Chad has some heavy competition with the home team advantage, but if you saw the way he has been running up this mountain, this guy has a good chance. It's not that he runs or even seems to move that quickly, it's just that he never stops - like a machine...Chad is strong and he'll have the one other American (me) plus a rowdy crew from Iceland cheering him on from BC, and two Britt's on the mountain. So, if the weather holds tomorrow morning, about 7 or 8 PM EST stay tuned to the web for as complete coverage as possible. It's a 7+ hour event. " Go Chad Go!

I found this on Mounteverest.net. "Asia Tourism Ltd. is organizing the second international Festival ''Khan Tengri 2003.'' It will be held from July 17th to August 7th of 2003. The first festival was held in 2000. Part of this event is a speed climbing competition on Khan Tengri, 7010m. Asia Tourism has sent ExplorersWeb the latest list of entrants that is current to June 9, 2003. Only one American, Chad Kellogg, will be participating in the international competition. Chad has the widely recognized speed record for Mt. Rainier, in Washington State, USA. " Mounteverest.net also says, "For all the Cascade Climber fans out there, Chad Kellog arrived in Base Camp today. Haven't spoken to him much yet, but he is currently the only American competitor in the speed climb event. He's up against a bunch of Russians and Kazakhs. Chad just broke the Denali speed record this past Spring, and has some other US speed records as well. Judging from the Russian and Kazakh climbers here, though, Kellog's got his work cut out for him. Go USA!" Chad started from the Indian Ocean so that he could rightfully claim a "complete ascent." Dru, do you think they'll piss-test him like they do the Canadian climbers who spend too much at the Muir Hut. No Dan or Fido - to be found in Khan Tengri.

Colin paints the picture better. Anatoli claimed the West Rib route, most folks start that route at the base of ridge, not the airstrip. Doing that eliminates a few miles of glacier travel and a few thousand feet of elevation gain. That's a big difference. You're right though, I don't know for sure where he did start the clock, but I have a feeling that he was hanging out at 14K and then descended to do the climb the Rib. Mug's did that too (but he skied the Lower West Rib to reach the Cassin.) I'm not saying that the fastest time has to be run via ANY route in particular. But I have a feeling the fastest time from the airstrip to the summit is Chad's. Anyway, what constitutes the base of the mountain? Perhaps Cook Inlet in Anchorage? Or maybe Talkeetna. Hey Dru, are you sure you're not Dan -?

There are always complex qualifiers. Turns out that Anatoli's time is for the West Rib, as jjd reports. That would seem to mean from the base of the route to the summit. That's an entirely different, shorter and more direct trip than Chad's. SO, it still seems like Chad may have the fastest human time, both one way and round trip. Of course, other unknown details may exist out there.

So, more research has revealed that there IS a faster reported time by Anatoli Boukreev on Denali. It's even MORE amazing. 10 hours and 30 minutes, airstrip to the summit. I couldn't find any other details. Check out: www.wwwright.com/climbing/speed/?record=alaska_climbs.htm R.I.P. Anatoli. But hats off to your bitchin fast ascent.

This statement is absolutely LAME. Is personal responsibility totally gone? From the Times: "We did very well considering," Nancy Lamont said. "Nobody panicked. It was a very cohesive group. It was a strong group mentally, emotionally and physically and that's what helped us to survive." These folks did call for a rescue, sort of like panicking. Calling 911 means HELP ME! It also sounds like they were lucky the weather broke. From the Herald: "The LaMonts began to pray for a break in the weather. " I'm irrevant, but what the hell good does that do? I suggest using wands and bringing along enough extra warm clothing and equipment to make an "sustainable" bivy so you don't have to call 911 for help OR rely on prayers. I think the weather did turn fierce; is that so surprising and unpredictable? When you call the authorities and activate rescuers from all over the region, others will question what you did. And for many, they recall other climbers who survived days and nights of tough weather in the mountains with exremely limited gear and NO cell phones. Being "safe" is admirable, but it just seems that these folks really weren't adequately prepared mentally, physically, and/or with equipment to deal with even a "short" storm on the Rainier. As noted, they didn't even need help in the end, which is why it's odd that they called so fast for a rescue. Hey Dru, your observation is spot on, let's build a Muir Hut at Camp Sherman to keep everyone safe instead of installing pay phones on route. This will stir the post a little more.

I heard that they called 911 twice. Twice to report that they needed a rescue. Not sure about a call back. I never called them idiots, and will not do this, and that's not what I'm indicating. I said that they didn't "deal." Totally different situations. Like to think that you'd tough it out Matt, and not reach for the phone so quickly, then walk down the mountain later to report that you don't need the help.

Unable to deal means, you've got 9 people climbing the Emmons during inclimate weather. You climb and make choices until you're in trouble. Then you call 911 and request a rescue. Thankfully, the weather cleared and they were able to walk down. Still doesn' t change the fact that they cell-phoned and requested a rescue. Seems odd that there NINE people up there. It seems reasonable to assume they could have taken care of business without calling for help, especially since they didn't need any in the end anyway! Hey Matt, you can judge my next epic by what I do and how I respond when "it" hits the fan. Accidents happen, so do bad choices, but it seems ok to me that on some occasions, we call it like it is.

Leeway?! 9 People, unable to hunker down, able to get up there, and unable to deal??? The cell phone changed the entire equation. Dwayner, sadly, is on the money.

Pete, great point, forget to mention the other news. Chad summitted Denali 3 times in 5 days (that includes the speed ascent and 1 from 14K I think). Chad also climbed 34,000 vertical UP feet that one week. I'm sure more details about the trip will come out soon. He's guiding the McKinley now. Youngprofessor, I agree and see your point. Real achievements must be distingushed from fake weapons of mass information. It's important that the climbing community and our credibility remain as solid as possible. So Youngprofessor, "Fire at will..."

This info on Dan is cute. But let's not take away from Chad's achievement. This sort of fitness is impressive. The press and climbing community will celebrate this feat and others more as time goes on. Nice "try" Dru! Don't you know, I'm Scandinavian and work the UN.

Man Survives First Lightning Strike, Not Second CHEYENNE, Wyo. A college student survived a lightning strike while mountain climbing, but was killed in a second strike about an hour later as he and his girlfriend waited out the storm, authorities said. The body of Ryan Sayers, 20, of Colorado Springs, Colo., was recovered Tuesday, the day after he was killed on Steeple Peak (search) in the Wind River mountain range (search) in central Wyoming. He and Katrin Birmann, 24, of Munich, Germany, were climbing a cliff on the 12,000-foot peak Monday afternoon when lightning first hit them 1,500 feet from the summit. Removing their equipment, the couple decided to sit out the storm. But about an hour later they were hit by another lightning strike, and Sayers fell about 300 feet into a ravine. Birmann, who suffered minor burns, found her boyfriend dead when she rappelled down to him. She spent the night at the base of the mountain and hiked out the next day, calling authorities on a cell phone she borrowed from two hikers. "She is amazingly tough," said Sayers' father, Tom Sayers. "She had to spend the night with him. God, I don't know how she did it." A rescue team recovered Sayers' body. An examination determined he died from the lightning strikes, not the fall, Sublette County Sheriff Hank Ruland said Thursday. The elder Sayers said his son never took a chance on a mountain and often held friends back from ascents in bad weather. "Ryan was always touted as too safe a climber on all these expeditions. ... It's very unusual," Sayers said in a telephone interview Thursday. He said both his son and Birmann were expert climbers. Sayers' biggest passion in life was climbing, but mathematics was his real talent, his father said. Sayers earned a perfect score on the math section of the SAT, the college entrance exam, while still in eighth grade, his family said. He was one year away from completing a double major in math and physics at the Colorado School of Mines (search), in Golden, Colo., where he met Birmann. "He used to tell me he always did his homework in pen so he wouldn't make mistakes," the elder Sayers said. "That was the kind of thought pattern he had. He was a great guy. I miss him very badly." Birmann was en route to Colorado Springs and not immediately available for comment Thursday.

Chad was pretty up front about this. And yes, food is aid, but the fact still remains, he fucking ripped it. Can't wait to see Dan and Chad race against each other.

Ok everyone, if you don't care about speed ascents, LEAVE THIS THREAD NOW! If you care, here's the story. Soon to be released in the press, but brought to you first by CC.COM investigators. Chad Kellogg broke the previous speed record on Denali set by Alex Lowe. Alex's record is reported to be 18 1/2 hours (yet to confirm this, but the NPS reports this stat.) Chad went from base camp, to the summit in 14 hours, 22 minutes. He returned to base camp, round tripping the mountain in 23 hours, 55 minutes. He did the trip in 3 stages, using skis to 7,800 feet, then switching to running spikes to 11K, then switching to plastics and crampons from 11K up. He carried a down suit, mittens, CB radio and 3 liters of water. He had a small food cache at 14, but was unable to find it when he arrived. Some other climbers gave him a bit of food to carry on. He made the 14 medical camp in 7 hours from base camp. As for verification.. Lisa Roderick started the timer at base camp, 7K. Chad ran into a National Geo Film crew and Dave Morton (AAI guide) at 14K. The film crew videoed Chad as he ran, and asked a few questions. On the summit, Chad had a french climber and team verify his time, they radioed down to Mark Westman who was at the 7K base camp with Lisa. The French climber was Ivo Vesely. Chad then returned to 14K, ate more food, and continued down to 11k, where he ran into ranger Joe Reichart. He was stuck for a bit in a whiteout, but continued descending to basecamp, returning in under 24 hours. Mark Westman and Lisa were there to verify his return time. Now this will undoubtly start a new vain of conversation. More details will present themselves in the days to come, but many folks on this web site know many of the above witnesses/timers. SO, make up your own mind. There is also word that Chad intends to race head to head with Dan - in that speed race in Asia (forgot the name). It's also rumored that he has his sights set on a new speed record for Rainier.

E-Bay?

While searching for any evidence of weapons of mass destruction and how fast one can round trip Mount Rainier; I spent the weekend cragging in the Tieton. Check out the new topo on Puryear's site. Consider.... www.cascadeimages.com/cr/tieton/shockandawe.htm