Who is Kilian Jornet’s ‘fake Everest’ accuser, what is his motivation and what other evidence does he have?
- Dan Howitt has been relentless in trying to get his evidence across but fears the media are discounting him and only talking about the lack of GPS
When famed Spanish ultra runner and mountaineer Kilian Jornet summited Everest twice in one week in 2017, without supplementary oxygen, in 26 hours from base camp and 17 hours from advance base camp respectively, it was global news.
The first ascent was a new fastest known time (FKT) from base camp and Jornet’s already growing legendary status grew further.
But while the world lauded his scarcely credible achievements, one observer was less convinced. US-based climber Dan Howitt saw what he thought were some strange omissions in documenting the climb.
The accusations were widely reported at the time but Howitt thinks that the media has still not properly acknowledged his evidence. Most climbing fans now know that Jornet lacked GPS evidence and that his summit photos reveal little of the peak and could have been taken from anywhere. But it is the witnesses, or lack thereof, which Howitt wishes the media paid more attention to.
It took Howitt a matter of minutes to find out there was no GPS above around 8,400m. The rest of the investigation took months, he said. Many outlets refer to it as a 19-page report about the GPS. It is 60 pages.
