Byron Smith's Everest summit claim: A question of honor and trust
The danish version: Mads on the walkie-talkie with the words "I can't go any higher." Canadian version: "Byron Smith Successful Summit, May 21, 2000 - I can't go any higher." Image courtesy of the Thrane & Thrane Danish 2000 Everest expedition.
08:10 pm CDT Aug 24, 2005
It all started pretty innocent. We had an Everest summit picture mystery: Two climbers claimed the same image on their websites. It turned into a detective job to find the right man and ended in threats.
Byron Smith has made quite a name for himself at ExWeb. His climb of Carstensz Pyramid’s angered a number of people including a 71 year old climber, who wrote an open letter to Byron. There was no reply as far as we know, but the website that published the letter promptly received legal threats from Byron Smith.
No Byron in picture
This time around, readers pointed ExWeb to a discrepancy in Byron’s summit images from Everest. The senders were worried; "Byron Smith has threatened law suits to anyone that gets in this way," they wrote.
We checked the images, and sent Byron an e-mail. No reply. A research set the record straight: The image was not Byron, but Danish climber Mads Granlien. We made an update with the result - and sent a second mail to Byron with a link to the story.
Byron checks in
This time, Byron Smith replied. There were 10 attachments to the mail. They were statements of character by acquaintances none of whom had been with Byron on the climb except for one, who had been on the mountain but not the summit. There were however also statements by two of the seven Sherpas that Byron claimed were with him on the top.
And then there was a statement from Byron Smith to ExplorersWeb. He ordered us not to print his letter edited out of context - but we will borrow this: In his reply, Byron writes that he is "disgusted" by us. The article is "scuttlebutt and rumor bongering," and based perhaps on "jealousy". He accuses us for not verifying our information - and ends by elaborating on our character.
Now, remember that all we did was to localize the correct name to Byron's summit image.
As for our e-mails to him - Byron writes they got lost in his spam filter, and besides - he'd rather talk about this over the phone. And then he threatens us: "you are entering a libelous situation" and, "you should take warning." Byron also asks for contact information to the readers who pointed us to the images.
Not the first time
By now - e-mails began to arrive at ExplorersWeb, asking us to check with members in Byron's expedition. Yet the ones we contacted refused to talk - it appeared Byron had some kind of confidentiality contract of silence on the guys! Can you believe it? To ExWeb, Byron's expedition began to look more like a murky car dealership than an Everest climb - confusing facts, contracts of silence and threats to those who asked!
The mails came from all over, some by (multiple) Everest summiteers. It turned out that this was not the first time Byron's summit had been questioned. The statements by two of his Sherpas were addressed to Liz Hawley - who recorded Byron's summit as "disputed" already in 2000.
We were startled. At ExWeb, we knew nothing about Byron Smith's bad reputation although some of us had actually met him once - on Everest in 1998. At the Lhotse wall, heading back from South Summit, Byron asked us to borrow film until he came back to BC. We gave him our last roll - and never saw him again.
Should we doubt Byron Smith?
Never could we imagine we'd meet again like this, in a flood of threats and insults from the man - after being deceived by a false summit image on his website. Nevertheless, we checked through his information.
In all of Byron's attachments - there is no actual proof of summit. He asks us for facts. We have to ask back for the same. Even his witnesses of character don’t cut it. A mountain guide writes in Byron's defense: "Mountaineering is a sport of honor and trust." He says that doubts should only be raised "when a climber's reputation is in doubt." He continues: "There is nothing in his character to suggest that we should doubt him."
And here's his final, (about Byron's lack of summit images): "If Byron really wanted to cover up a lie - wouldn't he have fabricated the picture?"
Well, the fact is he has. That's what started this whole story - a false picture of Byron on the summit of Everest. With that, even according to his own witness criteria; doubts should be raised against Byron Smith.
Checking the facts
So let's check the facts: In spite of a heavy set up for live summit broadcast including special cold-weather battery, several cameras and a video camera - Byron has no video and no images from himself at the summit (or as far as we understand) not even from close to the summit. The radio and several Sherpa's cameras though worked fine.
Lhakpa Tshering according to Byron took out his camera but it didn't work. Another Sherpa took "a few photos in my direction of all of us at the summit". Chhuldim Sherpa says he got a picture with himself, Lakpa Tsering and Tenzing Dorjee at the summit. He used to have one with Byron Smith, but can't find it - "it is somewhere in Pangboche". According to Byron's online diary, "Mingma Dorje took a few photos of all of us at the summit. (Lhakpa has since emailed me that the negatives are in Kathmandu from Mingma Dorje's camera and I am trying to get a copy of them.)"
Byron had a Leica camera that would not respond. At home the slide film was developed but only showed one very dark photo just below South Summit.
Image questions
For a climber with such a strong media agenda as Byron Smith (he even transported 2 M4 and a laptop to the summit), it is highly unusual not to try to take out the video camera. Yet Byron didn't.
Why didn't he make sure other pictures were taken on the summit? Byron claims cold and hard wind. Yet at least two Sherpas had working cameras and it would have been a matter of seconds to make sure that they validated the summit with a picture. Sherpas also like having a picture of themselves with the client on the summit - it will help stating their business skill for future clients.
Sherpas
Two of the Sherpas have made sworn testimonies that Byron was on the summit. There is no reason to doubt their honesty, but both were employed by Byron at the time and financially dependent on him. Considering Byron's proved habit of threats, the Sherpas' statements need to be backed by independent climbers or other proof. There are no such available.
The video
Byron writes "I have never stated or ever alluded that the Video I purchased from the Danish Team and use in my Speaking Presentation was me. I have never used the video as "PROOF" that I summited Mount Everest. That is only your misguided interpretation, or the misguided interpretation of others...the overlay caption "Byron Smith Successful Summit, May 21, 2000." is from an audio standpoint stating who is talking on the radio, not who is in the video."
Byron writes "Only a 'blind fool' would ever mistake my expedition suit and the Danish red suit, and only a fool would try to blatantly project himself as such".
Other people's summit images
Yet it is actually almost impossible even for an Everest climber to at a first glance believe that it is not Byron Smith on the video. Even after ExplorersWeb was informed, we needed other peoples' research to point out that Byron actually wore another suit through most of his climb. We are Everest summiteers, and as such better trained than mainstream media at judging summit pictures. Yet we were "fooled blindly" - and so are surely regular journalists and business folks. Which is the whole idea behind misleading information.
Byron's promotional video is running more than 20 seconds showing a person in different situations at the summit of Everest; talking on the radio, raising arms in the air, taking the last steps to the summit, etc. This video segment is overlaid with a climbers muffled voice "I can't go any further - I'm on the top of the world", a narrators voice talking about Byron Smith being on the summit as well as two different caption texts; "I can't go any further, I'm on top of the world" and "Byron Smith Successful Summit 7:05am May 21st, 2000 Everest 2000 Expedition".
More clips showing a climber close to the summit are used at the end of the promotional video. At no place in the video or on the website's video page is it stated that Byron is not the person in the video.
Not OK
Byron’s summit video is highly misleading - there is no mention of the Danish climber. It is fraudulent to use someone else's summit picture in relation to oneself. It is more serious to do it publicly - to media and in business relations. Summit pictures are equivalent of sport medals or school diplomas - they cannot be "borrowed" or "bought".
On occasions in climbing history when such behavior has been discovered - the climber's summit claims have been firmly rejected. Using other climbers pictures to illustrate ones own summit is only acceptable when a clear statement of source is present.
The summit claim
In a claim of summit; four factors are considered: Pictures, physical witnesses, physical proof left behind on summit, and the climber's reputation.
In spite of a highly media oriented expedition, Byron Smith is unable to present a single picture of himself on the summit of Mount Everest. There are also no independent witnesses. Considering Byron's history of threats, it is possible that the two statements by his two employees (Sherpas) are a result of pressure. Against the two Sherpas stands witnesses who told Liz Hawley Byron didn't make it. There is also no physical evidence left behind on the summit by the expedition.
Byron has failed to confirm his summit and so have his expedition members; bound by a confidentiality contract of silence. Byron is threatening witnesses and has forged his summit image. With that, Byron has failed to prove his claim and credibility. With this new information ExplorersWeb is downgrading Byron's Everest climb to no summit.
Should solid proof emerge in the future, Byron will be re-entered as a summiteer in our books. Yet summit is not the final success on the mountain: Mount Everest ultimate test is the trial of oneself as a man. Should he ever be able to prove his summit - Byron will still have failed.
Byron Smith claims that he reached the summit at 7 a.m, and came back to Camp 4 around 2,5 hours later. That's a time frame rarely heard of for an amateur climber in conditions that prevented him to shoot one single picture, and turned back skilled climbers like Tim Rippel, a professional mountain guide in Byron's expedition. Only the late ace speed climber Babu Chiri Sherpa and his brother made the summit that day from the south normal route.
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