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Extreme Mountaineering or Extreme BS? I think the latter...

Paul-B · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 115
Doug S wrote:From the "Team" page on Mission14's website. Current team members are Nick and his wife, evidently. “At 18 years old I left college and enrolled in a 3-month outdoor leadership course in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. Four weeks later I lay dead at the bottom of a dark, wet cave. My rope broke as I was rappelling down into the main room and I fell over 75 feet bouncing off walls and rocks. Despite the fall I didn’t have a single broken bone, just some torn muscles in my lower back and slight concussion. Two weeks later I was climbing and skiing in the backcountry.” -Nick Cienski
In his Tedx talk his heart also stops in this story. Great stuff
NC Rock Climber · · The Oven, AKA Phoenix · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 60

I was shocked that people actually applauded at the end of the presentation. There must be a pretty short line of people who want to speak at and attend the TEDx Baltimore.

Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145
Paul-B wrote: In his Tedx talk his heart also stops in this story. Great stuff
That's nothing, happens to all the great drama queen actors
Allen Sanderson · · On the road to perdition · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 1,203

Has anyone else noticed that on their recent Aconcagua climb there were four clients and two guides?

From their FB page: facebook.com/14Summits

"Camp 3 on the day before the summit attempt. Our team is down one member who descended to base camp with altitude sickness. We started for the top at 6 AM on the 18th."

"Aconcagua climb success - 3 team members Nick, Jon and Tony summit the peak 6949m on Feb 18 @ 2:15pm!! We had to descended in whiteout conditions for 4 hours. Thanks to guides Tomas and Gianni we made it safely back to camp 3."


What I find interesting is that most people doing the False Polish do it from base of the Polish Glacier (the second camp). And not schlep gear up higher to the normal route and make a third camp. At least that is what folks did when I was up there. The third camp now seems standard when guiding clients.

As for the Tedx talk. (For those who want to comment here is the URABoob link)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9XIVtUEgFE&list=PLsRNoUx8w3rPk21aOKazYLRWSFwaq1Nm1

Great marketing talk. It prompted me to do some digging:

piquenewsmagazine.com/whist…

Seems like Nick has been on the fringes of doing awareness climbs for almost 20 years. Oh yeah 20 years ago Nick was guiding people on Aconcagua but is now being guided himself?????????

NC Rock Climber · · The Oven, AKA Phoenix · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 60
Allen Sanderson wrote:Has anyone else noticed that on their recent Aconcagua climb there were four clients and two guides? From their FB page: facebook.com/14Summits "Camp 3 on the day before the summit attempt. Our team is down one member who descended to base camp with altitude sickness. We started for the top at 6 AM on the 18th." "Aconcagua climb success - 3 team members Nick, Jon and Tony summit the peak 6949m on Feb 18 @ 2:15pm!! We had to descended in whiteout conditions for 4 hours. Thanks to guides Tomas and Gianni we made it safely back to camp 3." What I find interesting is that most people doing the False Polish do it from base of the Polish Glacier (the second camp). And not schlep gear up higher to the normal route and make a third camp. At least that is what folks did when I was up there. The third camp now seems standard when guiding clients. As for the Tedx talk. Great marketing talk. It prompted me to do some digging: piquenewsmagazine.com/whist… Seems like Nick has been on the fringes of doing awareness climbs for almost 20 years. Oh yeah 20 years ago Nick was guiding people on Aconcagua but is now being guided himself?????????
It would be interesting to know how Mike and Nick did on their 1995 climb. More relevant to Nick's current endeavors, it would be interesting to know how much money actually went to charity as a result of their 1995 climb.

Based on the financials referenced above, the charity's "expenses," and the cost of these trips, I think that it is very probable that Mission14 will not provide much (if any) financial support to the causes it purports to be helping. Moreover, I think that the net gain for human trafficking causes would be significantly larger if Nick simply spent his time fundraising and working to support an established charity rather than raising funds that he will spend on being guided up mountains (like 1000s of other alpine tourists). Any way you look at it, Mission14 is about Nick and his climbing, and the marketing regarding "charity" is just a way for him to get his adventure paid for buy someone else.
Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145

kind of funny, a couple of dorks in the fitzsimons research lab will probably do more to combat viral infection like hiv than anyone climbing everest, to save just one more person....just one.

We draw the line at two people as it's just too much of a cost to sacrifice the chance for us to get our gear portered up to camp3 at that point.

Doug S · · W Pa · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 55
Allen Sanderson wrote: Seems like Nick has been on the fringes of doing awareness climbs for almost 20 years.
He repeats in his Tedx talk that he's never done this before. This is a new, life-changing direction for him. You must be mistaken.

Not to suggest that he might be lying outright about some things, but consider the things he said about his early experience at outdoor leadership school:
1) His rappel rope snapped simply from weighting it.
2) He fell 70 (or 75) feet to his death.
3) Just 2 weeks later he was climbing and back country skiing with torn back muscles

Let that story sink in.

I'd like to know if anything he says can be authenticated, including the above story but also: who are his sponsors, who is his team, and who are the beneficiaries of his charity (specifically- not the double-speak garbage on his tax form)?

I was a little surprised at what happened with Greg Mortenson. Nonetheless, with him there were actual schools built and actual philanthropic work done. But Nick is different. He is clearly a fraud in progress.
NC Rock Climber · · The Oven, AKA Phoenix · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 60

Not to beat a dead horse, but Mission14 will not answer any difficult questions about their expedition or the efficacy of spending MILLIONS of dollars on Nick's "extreme" travels in order to raise funds to eradicate human trafficking. When you are asking for that kind of money, you should be able to have a frank discussion about the way you are spending it and the benefits that you hope to achieve. Their unwillingness to enter into this kind of a dialogue and persistent censorship or any comments on their FB page is a major red flag. Fraud in progress? I can't say for sure, but I would bet money on it.

Doug S wrote: Not to suggest that he might be lying outright about some things, but consider the things he said about his early experience at outdoor leadership school: 1) His rappel rope snapped simply from weighting it. 2) He fell 70 (or 75) feet to his death. 3) Just 2 weeks later he was climbing and back country skiing with torn back muscles
Like Doug, I find that entire story both irrelevant to this endeavor and, more importantly, extremely improbable. To me, it is just one more indicator that Nick is very comfortable fabricating a tale and not someone to trust with $5.6M.
Mark R · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 65

Saw that the comments left yesterday have been deleted from their FB page. Has anyone tried contacting Mission14 directly with or without success? I can try and push some pressure locally if need be.

What are the alternatives? Ask Mission14 to be more transparent? Ask sponsors to donate to a more worthy cause? The videos are pretty off-putting and the whole thing seems like one big exercise in semi-well-intentioned but misguided ego stroking.

NC Rock Climber · · The Oven, AKA Phoenix · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 60

I actually sent an e-mail asking for more information about how donations are used. In that e-mail I also asked a few questions about the rationale behind spending $5.6 on a climbing expedition to raise more money to combat human trafficking. I did not receive a reply. I sent the same e-mail again, sent a FB message and posed a comment on their FB page. I received no response and the FB comment was deleted. To be clear, this was prior to me creating this thread and the tone of my e-mail / comments was professional and polite.

I honestly think that this "charity" is just a way for Nick to position himself as a do-gooder and get the public to support his adventures. Mission14 is about ego and funding. If he really cared about human trafficking, there are many, many ways that Nick could make a much greater impact than Mission14. It is painfully obvious to me that Nick is most concerned about Nick and that he is exploiting the exploited to get his guided alpine trips paid for.

Transparency would be a nice first step. However, I think that what he is doing is a kind of theft. He is convincing people to give him money under the guise that it will help the less fortunate. The reality is that the money only helps Nick. If he was not around, the donations he receives might be donated to a more worthy cause. To put a finer point on it, Nick is stealing from the people he purports to help. That is the message I hope that more people hear.

Allen Sanderson · · On the road to perdition · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 1,203

Listen carefully from about 12:00 of his Tedx talk.

He notes that global brands (UnderAmour, etc) to pay for the adventure as marketing while audience monies 100% is to go to the partner organizations. It is also noted on their webpage:

Because of our generous corporate sponsors, 100% of your individual contribution goes directly to our charitable partners.

Given that I am not really sure where Mission6 falls into that, that is monies donated via their website go where? My guess is that Mission6 is really a front to collect monies which are then redistributed to other non-proffits. Now this is speculation on my part because of that Mission6 can be a nonprofit. Thus monies coming from corporate sponsors can go there as well and be a tax deduction. IMHO this appears to be a tax loophole. As such, the monies reported to the IRS could be from anywhere.

The question to be asked should be to their partners; the Araminta Freedom Initiative and the ORPHANetwork. Have they received anything? At the same time folks could be asking the local Tedx talk organizers if they truly understand how part of the community feels about this endeavor.

Mark R · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 65
Allen Sanderson wrote:Listen carefully from about 12:00 of his Tedx talk. He notes that global brands (UnderAmour, etc) to pay for the adventure as marketing while audience monies 100% is to go to the partner organizations. It is also noted on their webpage: Because of our generous corporate sponsors, 100% of your individual contribution goes directly to our charitable partners. Given that I am not really sure where Mission6 falls into that, that is monies donated via their website go where? My guess is that Mission6 is really a front to collect monies which are then redistributed to other non-proffits. Now this is speculation on my part because of that Mission6 can be a nonprofit. Thus monies coming from corporate sponsors can go there as well and be a tax deduction. IMHO this appears to be a tax loophole. As such, the monies reported to the IRS could be from anywhere. The question to be asked should be to their partners; the Araminta Freedom Initiative and the ORPHANetwork. Have they received anything? At the same time folks could be asking the local Tedx talk organizers if they truly understand how part of the community feels about this endeavor.
The money from the corporate sponsors would probably be deductible as marketing/advertising expense even if it wasn't going to a charitable organization so it doesn't seem shady from that angle. The United Way has similar programs where corporate sponsors will foot the bill for operating expenses leaving all individual donations to funnel directly to other charities.

I guess the biggest issue then is the ethics of using the less fortunate as a tool to get corporate sponsors for your expeditions. It just smacks of the almighty westerner swooping in to save the world by doing meaningless stunts. Voluntourism taken to a whole new level. Their 990 next year is going to look like junk with such a large percentage of funding going to fundraising vs. program costs. Hopefully that will deter donors or make them look a little deeper. It is slightly amusing that their executive director majored in creative fiction writing.

That said, their 2012 990 doesn't look unusual and I don't want to crucify this guy if he actually thinks he's doing good. Maybe he doesn't know any better and embarked on this too quickly when he should have done a little more research.

Just trying to look at it from all angles before digging my pitchfork out of the garage.
Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145

If it means saving just one free range dolphin to keep farting rainbows, I will gladly accept donations for a shot at K2.

I do it simply for all the mammals of the planet that have no voice!

Tom-onator · · trollfreesociety · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 790
MarktheCPA wrote:It is slightly amusing that their executive director majored in creative fiction writing. 
Slightly

Oh my...

that explains so much
NC Rock Climber · · The Oven, AKA Phoenix · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 60

Mark makes some good points. However, to me it is really simple. Nick is soliciting $5.6M to pay for guides and other expedition costs so that he can be escorted up some of the worlds highest mountains. It will be great if he gives a few thousand dollars to a few legitimate charities in the process, but the point is that he is spending MILLIONS on his climbing expedition. Despite his claims to the contrary, the idea that spending millions of dollars to climb mountains in an unimpressive manner is an efficient way to raise money to combat human trafficking is patently absurd, and Nick's wasteful use of millions of dollars that could have been donated to a real charity is shameful.

Doug S · · W Pa · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 55

^^^^
Add that his smug way of claiming that it is necessary to do that, wrapped in corporate double-speak, is extremely insulting. Add to that his claims of humility and Christianity is extremely hypocritical. And I say his soliciting of contributions from people for charitable work is a fraudulent front. He wants to play, and wants others to pay. Period.

So far his charity has spent probably +$100k doing a guided ascent of Anconcagua for um... "team building". This is corporate-speak for stuffing $1s in a G-string. However the total of his charitable work is a property in a garbage dump where poor locals can sew on donated sewing machines. I would be surprised if the total cost exceeded $1000. "Oh thank you Nick. We're saved." And there you have it.

It's like he is a ridiculous douchebag self-parody, but in fact he's serious.

Dobson · · Butte, MT · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 215

I'd like to see him scam his donors by raising the $6mil, canceling the trip, and giving it all to a deserving charity. It'll never happen, but it's about the only way he could come clean in my eyes.

Gavin Attwood · · Littleton · Joined May 2013 · Points: 0

MarktheCPA – agreed, their 990 looks ok, just devoid of any real funding!

The Araminta Freedom Initiative is not active. No IRS filings. The ORPHANetwork looks like a solid agency with a $3.8million budget.

Allen Sanderson – a non-profit can get money from anywhere but every dime has to be accounted for both in and out. They do not need to show who gave them money though.

richard magill · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 2,400

I want to hear more at about the rope that "snapped like a pencil" just from weighting it. Fishy...

Christian RodaoBack · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 1,486
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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