Since when does "WI" stand for "Whining"
Motivation speaking is a skill and talent unto itself. Maybe Will should devote more time to his speaking skills rather than claiming to be a "Demotivational" speaker.
Whining about other peoples success (regardless of how they came about it) is poor form and reeks of jealousy.
To Mr. Gadd I say, climb hard and be an amazing presenter and gigs will come your way, climb hard and whine about others and you'll be a whiner.

Gadd is just jealous of those who have summited Everest.

Diggler wrote:Gadd is just jealous of those who have summited Everest.

that is rich! not surprising though...

Dow Williams wrote:

Diggler wrote:Gadd is just jealous of those who have summited Everest.

that is rich! not surprising though...

You're just ealous too because you haven't climbed Everest.

Dingus Milktoast wrote:And while I'm at it...

Folks who might be tempted to attend some motivational speech, or some corp HR manager who wants to preach at her employees in some novel way, can all likely relate far better to the achievements of Joe Blow Hired a Guide to Climb Everest (and then went and did itm by god) then they can to a career athlete.

That's exactly what it is IMO. Pretty exciting to see Joe Blow come down from the nosebleeds at half time and make that half court shot for some prize, more so than seeing brand X superstar make a tough shot all day long.

kerryob wrote:While I agree that in general having summited Everest isn't a qualifier to be a good motivational speaker, being so downright dismissive of the endeavor to climb the mountain itself without having done so personally seems like folly. It may not be an extraordinary achievement these days, but by saying climbing Everest is "no big deal", it lessens the very real and extraordinary feats accomplished by man on that mountain, even if inadvertently.

Sometimes as climbers we become tone deaf to what personal accomplishment really means when we converse within echo chambers, endlessly repeating the nearly insurmountable feats of professional climbers, which potentially make our own endeavours feel feeble by comparison. In all actuality it's only a point of reference. No matter how expensive, how much trash, and how much oxygen is used, you cannot take away the very real accomplishment from those who have done it, some more deserving of our reverence than others.

In the opening pages of Into Thin Air, Krakauer recalls in similar terms how equally dismissive he was of Everest as a real challenge. I would suggest the author of this article give the aforementioned book a read, and then go climb Everest himself. After having done so I would like to hear if he carries the same note.

Thank you for writing this! There are many types and levels of climbers; and we all have our own motivations as to why we climb.

I paid a guide, used oxygen, and climbed on fixed lines. This does not mean I did not work to get up Everest. I teach by profession and climb as a hobby. How does this lessen my summiting of Mt. Everest? I experienced the physical and mental aspects of this 60-day expedition. I spend two months away from my family which was the most difficult part for me.

I do not compare my abilities to other cllimbers.
I climb for myself - as a personal challenge.

I will be writing a book and this is why:
Reaching Beyond the Clouds
From Undiagnosed to Climbing Mt. Everest

On August 7th 2007, I was diagnosed with Wegener’s Granulomatosis and on May 23rd 2010, I summited Mt. Everest. With a rare and potentially life-threatening disease, at the age of 51, and functionally blind in one eye: I joined the group of American females who have climbed the world’s tallest mountain. My journey to Mt. Everest began three years ago but, like so many other victims of rare unknown diseases, my story started more than a decade earlier.

We all have our own stories and should not be so quick to judge.
www.reachingbeyondtheclouds.com

Dougb wrote:I can say in all honesty that if I had a prepaid ticket to Everset, I would still have to "think about it". I mean, I go to the mountains to "get away" from the hordes of humanity.

You know I have had that free ticket Doug and still turned it down...it is not just the ridiculous base camp shenanigans....but for me to give up technical climbing for that length of period to test out my hiking and scrambling skills at extreme elevation and luck at weather (although I am known as the "weather charm"), I simply would not sacrifice that much time off of technical climbing at this point in my life, even if my expenses are covered. Then throw in the morality issue of adding to the misplaced hype. Not for me. But then it is well noted, I would suck at motivational speaking anyway.

Good post Dow - I loved the article by Will but I think people are getting too worked up about it. This is really Will trying to be funny in a tongue in cheek understated way with dry Canadian wit. He really doesn't care about how much motivation speaking gigs he gets.

Humour is best presented with some grain of truth or insight and he is making fun of how overpuffed some people get about having climbed Everest .
Climbing Everest is a big athletic achievement which people should be proud of but it is no longer a big climbing achievement by the tourist route, guided and with oxygen.
The public of course cannot differentiate between the two.

Anybody who calls out Will on not having summited Everest obviously has no understanding of his credentials as a climber. He has done things that only maybe 100 of the 4000 Everest summiters would be capable of.

Bill Kerr wrote:Anybody who calls out Will on not having summited Everest obviously has no understanding of his credentials as a climber. He has done things that only maybe 100 of the 4000 Everest summiters would be capable of.

You mean that guy's a climber???!!! Hell, I've never heard of him. Next thing you'll be telling me he climbs WI10...

[quote="CindyAbbott"
On August 7th 2007, I was diagnosed with Wegener’s Granulomatosis and on May 23rd 2010, I summited Mt. Everest. With a rare and potentially life-threatening disease, at the age of 51, and functionally blind in one eye: I joined the elite group of American females who have climbed the world’s tallest mountain. My journey to Mt. Everest began three years ago but, like so many other victims of rare unknown diseases, my story started more than a decade earlier.

We all have our own stories and should not be so quick to judge.
www.reachingbeyondtheclouds.com[/quote]

wow nice segue to book promo. jesus

[quote="wow nice segue to book promo. jesus[/quote]

The book will raise money for research on rare diseases like mine. It will also help people who are very ill and scared by showing them there is HOPE.

I can see some people here are very . . . . limited in their mindfulness.

I once heard said something along the lines of: if you need a guide and need oxygen nowadays, you have no business being on Everest. As much as people use it for publicity and raise money etc, and as much as I've never been to Everest, I'm still inclined to partly agree with this.

As for Dow who turned down a free ticket, I can definetly sympathise. Last summer when I spent my time trolling around Colorado climbing/hiking and just wasting time playing tourist in Boulder, I met some other climbers that didn't live to far from me (it helps noticing Quebec liscence plates in Colorado towns!). We hung out for a few weeks, climbed a bunch together and have since back home. Turns out they offered me a spot on their Everest permit for 2011, I just pay my flight over, turned it down though simply because I have absolutely zero interest in south-east ridge and the "circus" that the route has become. Nor would I want to jump into that realm of altitude without being ready.

Dougb wrote:I can say in all honesty that if I had a prepaid ticket to Everest, I would still have to "think about it". I mean, I go to the mountains to "get away" from the hordes of humanity.

That's how I feel as well. I'm honest enough to say that I'd like to stand atop the world's tallest mountain. And I can respect the physical ordeal people go through on that peak. But the group thing is not for me, and I couldn't derive too much personal satisfaction from being guided up a mountain. If I were capable of climbing Everest on my own, that would be a different matter.

MikeTX wrote:i think he's related to e. gadd.


yuck yuck.

I don't think Gadd would have denigrated Cindy Abbot's accomplishment in the light of her circumstances. He was talking about the socialite dragged up the mountain with a Sherpa dedicated to carrying all her communications equipment so she could Twitter her every step to adoring minions back home or the bored CEO who decides that he'll give mountaineering a shot and as long as he's at it why mess around with anything but the highest peak.

Fletch wrote:Wow... some real climbing snobs here...

Anybody want to drag me up Everest, I'm pretty sure I can pencil you in...

Turning down a climb on Everest is like turning down an invite from Hef for a night at the mansion... snap out of it people!

Way to go Cindy and good luck on raising money for a good cause...

Word.