ExpertKipWatcher wrote:Is the photo possibly a crop and the stuff that is at the summit is visible in the full photo ? Having said that how hard would it be to mock up something that would pass for that in a dark room ?
This photo looks legit to me. I see a happy but very strained smile, the type of look one might have on top of the world in the dark in freezing winds. Yeah you're happy but the conditions write a story on your face that is not easily faked in a dark room mock up, which would almost certainly end up looking more relaxed. And I can't imagine that smile, however strained it is, lower down on the ridge if you've failed to reach the summit.
Accordingly, I would speculate the following:
Attempt #1: Failure. Everything about this attempt seemed ill-advised and poorly executed, The audacious idea of starting at the Rongbuk monastery and running ~20K just to get to Advanced Base Camp before starting the climb in earnest, all in one push, reeked of unnecessary hubris, and many experienced climbers thought it near suicidal. It's not really that hard to imagine running out of steam high on the ridge before the summit, tail between the legs. And why even bother with a second attempt if you summited the first time (albeit slower than hoped for - although he was still touting some kind of contrived "Rongbuk start" speed record narrative)?
Attempt #2: Success. At least this attempt started at ABC as is logical, and now he knows most of the route first hand, which is significant. Although the GPS track is sketchy (again), it's also possible the watch somehow failed to start properly and only turned on during the descent - it's not uncommon for the extreme altitude of the Himalayas to wreak havoc on electronics. And for me at least, that pic looks legit.
At least that's how I see it for the time being.