Grand Teton FKT rejected...

[maineguy]

This guy climbed the Grand in less than 3 hours, but because he cut across a couple of switchbacks, his effort was just disqualified.

https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news...cle_2937735c-6fc4-11ef-b201-7bcffe35005b.html

 

[jreckard]

Similar article (free).
https://wyofile.com/the-fastest-ever-climb-of-the-grand-teton-a-record-lost-and-a-trails-debate/

 

[skiguy]

Ouch..tough group that FKT. They sure like splitting hairs. Guess I can see this one not counting due to the cited reason in the article. Although the attempt for a non-supported NH 48 awhile back that was rejected due to the placement of camera batteries in order to record the event by the participant was a bit harder to accommodate IMO. Good thing it's only a game.

 

[Rhody Seth]

Ouch..tough group that FKT. They sure like splitting hairs.

Ah but the devil's in the details. I personally like the hair splitting and debating - it's the closest I come to a traditional sports fan debating stats in that sense.

I remember something similar happening a couple years ago when Ben Thompson went for the Presi Traverse FKT in Winter. He set a blistering time that far outpaced anything set in the warmer months because there was enough snow so he didn't have to adhere to the trail. It led to a great debate about what exactly constitutes a Presidential Traverse as well as further revisions/divisions with the Presi Traverse FKT. Good stuff.

 

[Lone Stranger]

I think the guide quoted in that second link put it pretty well:

“In one sense, it’s kind of minor,” he said of switchback cutting. “But on the other, it’s the National Park, and there are a gazillion people, and it’s a bad example.”

The rules have to always apply or they stop being rules and are just suggestions that most folks ignore. I'm not setting any records, but as a trail maintainer I always respect switchbacks even when I can see the herd path of the shortcut many people have taken. Messing up someone else's trail work seems rude. Even more important to cross every T and dot every I if you are setting records.

 

[NHChris]

Guy is lucky he wasn’t in Baxter. They’d have arrested him!