ExWeb has posted an article calling into question Bear Grylls' claims of paragliding over Everest a couple of months back. At the time it was reported that the British Adventurer had taken his gad powered paraglider up to 29,500 feet and soared over the summit of Everest. When I first reported on this, I noted that the record hadn't been verified by an independent source yet.
Well, as of now, it still hasn't been verified, and other pilots are stepping forward to question Grylls' claims. The story states that Grylls' instruments froze up on ascent, so it is impossible to know how far he went up. He does claim to have video of the entire flight, but it's been handed over to the BBC, who are busy making a documentary of the adventure. For his part, Grylls says he's happy to turn over his instruments for examination, as they may have still recorded some information, and that everything will be made clear in November when the BBC special airs.
ExWeb points out that this isn't the first time that Bear has fudged the facts a little. He once claimed to be the first person to row across the Atlantic in an inflatable boat, only to change his statement to be the first person to do so "unassisted". He also made the claim that he was the youngest Brit to ever summit Everest, only to find out later that another man, James Allen, held that distinction, doing so a year younger in age. To be fair though, Allen was originally listed as an Australian in Summit Reports.
Of course, ExWeb does take a swipe at other adventurers that might, knowingly or not, exaggerate their feats. The article allows them to take a poke at the Altitude Everest Team for their recent claims on the Second Step, and the even manage to take a jab at the Discovery Channel for last year's Everest: Beyond The Limit while they're at it.
Update: Check out this excellent article on the subject from Tarquin Cooper.
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