On September 11, 2006, Alpinist published a NewsWire on the first ascent of Shingu Charpa's north ridge by a Ukrainian team led by Igor Chaplinsky. In Issue 18, Chaplinsky wrote a first-person note on the ascent, which he claimed had been executed by Andrey Rodiontse, Orest Verbitsky and himself. The Ukrainians, it appeared, had snagged a much-coveted first ascent, all free, of Shingu Charpa's 1550-meter north ridge, just as a pair of American climbers, Kelly Cordes and Josh Wharton, arrived for a crack at the same objective. Now it appears Chaplinsky lied about his team's ascent, perhaps in a bid to compete for Montagne Magazine's Piolet d'Or.

It is Alpinist's rule of thumb to abide by an established climbing tradition: a climber's word is generally accepted as the truth unless compelling evidence suggests otherwise. Alpinist publishes first-hand accounts on climbs and expeditions whenever possible to present the words of the climbers themselves. This retains the original source of the information (information tends to lose accuracy each generation it is removed from its original source). Furthermore, when authors sign their names to their reports, they certify the information's authenticity.

Full story at Alpinist.com.