A capable climber doesn't need a guide. Nor 5 guides. End of story. That was a brave try from her though. But having the financial resources does not make you a climber. Having the knowledge and capabilities does. She never claimed to be an accompished alpinist but she did claim to be the first woman to reach Kanchenjunga in autumn and wanted to be the first woman to summit K2 in winter. With those labels she clearly compares herself to "real" alpinists, respected climbers who achieved what they achieved based on their own knowledge and not relying on guides. The message of being the first is essentially saying being better than all those before you. That is why she is getting negative comments.

Yes tourist doesn’t work. A BC trek is tourism, maybe one of those ‘flash’ trips, but 6 weeks effort is a bit more than that.

That's not bad. Sure. Either one is a lot less insulting than tourist.

Industrial climber. It’s a web of industries that get climbers like this up and down mountains. Almost all 8000m trips have a commercial element no matter how alpine style they may be because they all have commercial elements for the logistics and organization.
Anything with oxy especially is industrial.

Except for your use of "instawhore", which I find offensive, that is a very fair comment.

Messner is not known for politeness. "Tourist" is rude. Call her a commercial climber, which is what she is. Most climbers in the 8000ers are commercial climbers. Only a very few people could climb those mountains without the support commercial teams provide. It is still very, very hard. I respect all of you who do it, whether you are heavily supported or not.

Where do you get the idea that the community claims to be "inclusive"? Certainly not inclusive when it comes to earning the title "mountaineer" or the even more exclusive title "alpinist".

I am using the word "tourist" as Messner uses it; and he makes a clear distinction. A "tourist" is a person who cannot climb alone or as a fully contributing member of a team. A tourist depends on sherpas to pick and set the route and the camps, and to carry loads of gear up and down the mountain. That is all done by sherpas before Tseng sets foot on those routes. Yes, it is physically demanding to climb an 8k, and even tougher in winter, but it is not nearly as hard as doing the work that sherpas or real mountaineers do.

It appears that Grace has hired the same sherpa team to to take her on all her climbs, and she is always the ONLY client. If she has any climbing history before the sherpa-heavy 8K climbs, no one knows about it. No one has surfaced any previous climbing by Tseng on her own.

For the record, where is the photo of her carrying a large load? It is not in the article you linked. That article shows a sherpa carrying a large load; Grace is sitting in that photo and it's not possible to tell what is on her back.

"I have climbed way more technical climbs then Ms money bags here."

Thanks for the laugh.

Got to love these boards, a random with some "technical climbs" no one cares about thinks he can do the same thing.

She is sitting beside some gear, certainly not carrying a large load.

Stop white knighting/simping. I have climbed way more technical climbs then Ms money bags here.

So what have you done mountaineering wise?

The only picture here of her on the mountain shows her carrying a large load. That alone shows you are just another clueless armchair purist with the same tired cliches.
https://explorersweb.com/snowmageddon-time-running-out-for-winter-teams/

I don’t understand this use of the word “tourist”. The fact is — even on oxygen a climber burns up to 10k calories on a summit day. That’s the equivalent of 3 marathons — I hate the use of the word tourist. Tourist implies anyone can do it. For a community that claims to be “inclusive” the mountaineering community sure can be snotty. How about using the phrase “heavily supported climber” which she is. She is literally climbing.

I could if I had her wealth and a small army of sherpas to virtually carry me up.

Instead of down voting, could you post your comment as well?

I have to say she's the only 8000 instawhore I have full respect for, at the same level as alpinists.
Obviously one doesn't admire her climbing skills, but I admire her mental and biological strength to simply plan and do this alone, straight from nothing. It is exceptional by any measure.
Unlike many climbers and instawhores, she didnt even grow up climbing with parents/mentors or live next to a mountain range. She is not a professional athlete either.
In this context, that is without those advantages others have, she is amazing.

Well, at least she does not anonymously bitch about other people out of spite and envy.

Ah yes, Instagram filters = bad climber. Go to K2 winter and reach the same altitude as her. Should be easy as you're a superior non filter using climber