Serial Everest bagger Kenton Cool has broken his own British record by summiting Everest for the 11th time. Not content with adding to his Everest summit haul, Cool has also climbed neighbouring Nuptse and Lhotse to become the first person to climb all three peaks in one push.
However, controversy may ensue after Cool’s PR agency claimed that he was now the “most successful British mountaineer of all time” and the “foremost British climber of all time”. While we take nothing away from Kenton’s magnificent achievements, this statement is a very big one to make and begs the questions ‘what is success’?
In mountaineering circles, there are few that would argue that Kenton is a ‘more successful’ mountaineer than Dougal Haston, Doug Scott, Don Whillans or Joe Brown who all achieved first ascents on significant new routes during their careers. And in terms of high-altitude peak-bagging, Alan Hinkes surely is the most successful Brit with his 14 8000’ers?
Cool deserves massive recognition for his multiple summits of Everest (just as he does for his first ascents elsewhere in the world) of course, but it’s even tough to call him ‘the most successful British mountaineer on Everest’ since his ascents have not been made on new routes – unlike Haston and Scott in 1975 on the South West Face expedition for example. And what about Stephen Venables incredible oxygen-less and solo ascent via the Kangshung Face, which was described by no less than Reinhold Messner as the most ‘adventurous ascent of Everest ever’.
But does it really matter who is the ‘most successful’ or ‘the greatest’ in mountaineering? Not really, but when PRs who may not be the best informed on the subject make bold statements like this it would be remiss of us not to let it pass without comment.
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www.kentoncool.com