Kedrowski: 2016 Ski Project Controversy

[benlen]

So, what does "throwing him to the wolves" really mean? Are there any real repercussions if this record attempt really is a fraud (if somehow proven, of course)? Or is it just to mean that some of the members on this forum will disapprove of him? Maybe even call him a liar? Are those "the wolves"?

What I mean by "throw to the wolves" is that I dislike the idea of sullying someone's reputation based on conjecture and circumstantial evidence. Of course, we may all have different opinions on what qualifies as circumstantial. But again, and only my personal opinion, this particular topic is almost over 40 pages long––that seems a little bit obsessive. If a trusted media source were to investigate JK or present some hard evidence of misconduct, that would go a long way.

That said, I'm also not about to claim he hasn't done anything to allay suspicions either, and I commend the community for holding folks like this accountable for their actions. JK has been rather cagey in his presentation of his skiing quest, and that doesn't make a lot of sense.

[mountaingoat-G]

fair enough. I don't claim to know the answer if this is fraud or not, but it all seems to at least be pointing that way.... maybe..possibly. It's all kind of strange.

[andrewrose]

The pic he just posted on Instragram appears to have been taken on the same day as the one from last year, that he has posted on the "About" page of his 14ersrecord site. Feel free to study the wet slide details and snow features. I did.

Here's the shot from last year:
http://14erskirecord.com/wp-content/upl ... 76x507.jpg
on this page: http://14erskirecord.com/aboutjonkedrowski/

and the one from "today":
https://instagram.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net ... OQ%3D%3D.2

I hope his Instagram pic/post was not an attempt to show that he skied it recently.

I've kind of been following this thread. I was going to go ride my MTB this afternoon, but having some issues there, so I've been sitting here looking closer at these photos. They do look remarkably similar. One thing I also looked at was his gear....

The image posted yesterday, June 14, 2016 from Capitol, saying "It is finished". The front face of one of his skis is visible at an oblique angle. He has a few stickers on each ski as seen in his photo posted from Snowmass on June 5, 2016. Let's take a look at that one...

You can see on what I would guess is the left ski: a go pro sticker, remains of a yellow sticker, a black sticker that I can't quite read (goscore?), a rectangular white sticker, and a blue and white shield shaped sticker. On the right ski, a zeal optics sticker only. So each ski is unique.
Now, lets look at his photo from Capitol June 4, 2015. EXIF data was attached and noted on the photo...

Note a Zeal Optics and Clif sticker on one ski, while on the other, a go pro, yellow sticker, black sticker (goscore?), a small rectangular black sticker visible when you zoom in (again, I can't tell what it says), and then the blue and white shield shaped sticker. Now, look at the "It is finished" photo again...

Though at an oblique angle, when you zoom in you can clearly see a blue and white shield shaped sticker, and since each ski has unique stickers, we know which one that is. A go pro sticker at the top and a yellow sticker underneath that. There is also clearly not a small rectangular white sticker above the shield shaped sticker as seen in the photo dated June 5, 2016.
So we can see that the markings on these skis have changed over time (assuming they are the same pair), and that the markings from a photo posted June 14, 2016 appear to be identical to a photo posted on June 4, 2015. And we have that photo from June 5, 2016 on Snowmass, showing that the stickers on this pair of skis have changed from the photo on June 4, 2015. Looking through his instagram, you can see the same skis used on Mount Sneffels and Mount Wilson, both done in the past 2-3 weeks. The stickers appear as they do in the Snowmass photo, not as they do in the most recent Capitol photo.

[Bean]

Jon is explicitly stating that he did not ski Capitol yesterday.

drjonkedski
@jgeo44 @14erscom @jomahsaurus.rex I never said anything except that the project is finished. I'm done skiing peaks for the season for the project- I summitted Capitol but the skiing wasn't ideal or enough to claim anything. Have some respect and stop hating and assuming all these things as I've never claimed anything I didn't do. I nearly skied every summit in one season- and still summitted every peak. And I still skied top to bottom of every peak that I summitted with the exception of peaks like wetterhorn and Capitol. I've been climbing peaks in Colorado since I was a little kid in this is beyond ridiculous from people like you. Come out from behind your mobile devices and let's have a chat that's easy. Actually choose to get to know somebody in real life other than the world that you live in on the Internet. The website will be updated once there is time. Thanks for your support. Before you try judging someone come spend some time with me- #respect #humility

[EatinHardtack]

I hope this thread dies soon.

What we know: Jon seems like an egomaniac and a flair for vanity.

What we don't know: Did he really ski some peaks that he claims.

I doubt he comes on here and discusses this with anyone on this forum. This is not the crowd he is going after with his books and media attention. He doesn't care what anyone on these forums thinks about him or his projects. If he claims to have skied them all then he'll need more evidence before the mountaineering community accepts his claims. Whether that happens or not will yet to be seen.

[BillMiddlebrook]

I'm happy that he cleared that up.

[PaliKona]

Wow, what a defensive response!!

Jon is explicitly stating that he did not ski Capitol yesterday.

drjonkedski
@jgeo44 @14erscom @jomahsaurus.rex I never said anything except that the project is finished. I'm done skiing peaks for the season for the project- I summitted Capitol but the skiing wasn't ideal or enough to claim anything. Have some respect and stop hating and assuming all these things as I've never claimed anything I didn't do. I nearly skied every summit in one season- and still summitted every peak. And I still skied top to bottom of every peak that I summitted with the exception of peaks like wetterhorn and Capitol. I've been climbing peaks in Colorado since I was a little kid in this is beyond ridiculous from people like you. Come out from behind your mobile devices and let's have a chat that's easy. Actually choose to get to know somebody in real life other than the world that you live in on the Internet. The website will be updated once there is time. Thanks for your support. Before you try judging someone come spend some time with me- #respect #humility

[SnowAlien]

I nearly skied every summit in one season- and still summitted every peak. And I still skied top to bottom of every peak that I summitted with the exception of peaks like wetterhorn and Capitol.

Ummm. That's a little rich. Except for Pyramid, which is doubtful with Spot tracks showing not making the actual summit, I don't question JK's ability to summit any other 14er. The guy is the machine, and certainly did doubles and triples in one day. Uphill hiking capacity is definitely not an issue here.

What is completely questionnable is "skiing top to bottom of every peak". As been proven/witnessed/written up over and over again, peaks were skied to the saddle (which doesn't really suport "top to bottom"), peaks were skied without snow (Culebra, Blanca, Oxford etc), not from the summit (South Maroon) and by taking a big tumble (Little Bear). Capitol apparently wasn't skied, even last year. So this "record" doesn't really come close to what other 14er finishers have accomplished, least Davenport who arguably raised the bar of 14er skiing.

[BillMiddlebrook]

Yikes!
Now I'm a "hater" for asking him to clarify his Capitol and Pyramid summits. Oh well, my only concern was for the integrity of a "14er ski finisher" claim. I think those who have done so deserve respect.

I've been called worse.

[jenkscolin]

Narcissistic people will do whatever it takes to inflate their own ego. They will lie, cheat, post false Instagram pics etc. Dr. Jon has made it clear he is only after egotistic admiration of his own "accomplishments". Unfortunately, narcissists do not respond to rationality. They will continue to seek self gratification by any means necessary. It is a sad and ultimately lonely condition.

[benlen]

I'm going to play devil's advocate and suggest that while JK may not be a saint, I don't think he's necessarily the "shifty, slimy, bastard, narcissist SOB!" that some have claimed he is.

I don't know him in person. But I wouldn't wish 40 + pages of disparaging comments on anyone.

I thus was secretly cheering for the guy because he was so positively infuriating people here. For a time it was highly amusing. Just like "The Bros" on the Facebook page, he stirred up peoples' emotions and created an often eye rolling, often hilarious discourse.

But as someone who makes a career out of utilizing social media, JK failed I think (in this skiing quest) to fully engage the online skiing and mountaineering community here in Colorado that takes the mantle of "14ers ski finisher" rightly very seriously.

JK should have engaged the community 100%, from the very start of his skiing quest. If he had done so, and religiously documented his skiing trips, being inclusive and bringing people interested in 14er records and skiing into the process, even coming up short, the community here would have been behind him. The outcome would have been very different. That's the real shame in this now infamous 14er chapter.

[bergsteigen]

In order to get #respect, you have to give #respect. That's humility! You have disrespected those who have come before you and those who are toiling carefully away at this project.

I've seen THE Blanca photo - it was out by a mile. That combined with the SPOT and his partners trip reports, makes this a Non finish. Sorry. Go back and try again.