Nepal has denied Everest summit certificate to Russian climber Katya Lipka citing her unauthorized political activity on top of the world. Lipka had unfurled the flag of Ukraine on the summit of Everest as a protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.
“We have sought clarification from her, Liaison Officer and her expedition agency for unfurling the flag without our approval. This is an extremely sensitive geopolitical issue which cannot be taken lightly,” said Surya Parasad Upadhyaya, director of Nepal’s Department of Tourism, the body responsible for issuing climbing certificates.
As per Tourism Industry Service Delivery Directive 2070, mountaineers are required to inform the Liaison Officer about all the items they are going to use while climbing mountain, including any souvenir or token that they want to take to the summit in presence of representatives of the expedition agency and other expedition team members.
Upadhyaya said the department has also recommended the tourism ministry to ban Katya from climbing Nepal’s mountains for three years. The proposal is under consideration at the ministry.
On June 3, Lipka had posted a photo of herself unfurling the Ukrainian flag on top of Everest. In the post, she described her journey to Everest, her summit in the morning of May 24 and her desire for the war to end. She said that she climbed Everest without preparation and acclimatization, which she would not advise others to attempt.
As her post made waves, Nepali communist leaders also noticed it. “Russian invasion of Ukraine is wrong, but it is a blunder to allow foreigners to display a placard on the summit of Everest against (president) Putin. PM (Sher Bahadur) Deuba should not make the country a playground for foreigners to be in the goodbook of a powerful nation. The country is way above the greed for power,” tweeted Gokul Prasad Baskota on June 14, a former cabinet minister in the communist government of UML party, who was forced to resign over a corruption scandal.
A parliamentarian of his party, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, brought this issue to the attention of the parliament. Former foreign minister of the same cabinet, Gyawali demanded clarification from the government for allowing the Russian climber to antagonize Russia by unfurling the Ukrainian flag on the summit of Everest in parliament session on June 15.
“Sagarmatha (Everest) is our identity and pride. A flag was hoisted against Russia from there. Is this government making Sagarmatha a geopolitical battleground? The Department of Tourism sends Liaison Officers with expedition groups. What do they do? Is there no code of conduct and decency on what can and cannot be done there? This is a shameful display of the government’s flawed foreign policy,” Gyawali said in the parliament.
In response, Home minister Bal Krisnha Khand promised that the government would not let anyone use Nepali soil against any country.
As per expedition rules, one has to inform the tourism department about desired activities before heading to the base camp. People take photos at Everest top as proof of summit. Most take photos of themselves holding the flags of their countries. The summit photo is one of the proof for tourism and expedition officials to verify the claim of the climbers.
Officials said unfurling flags from Everest top is not prohibited but authorities should be made aware about what type or size of flags are being taken to the top.
This is not the first time that unfurling flags has created controversies in Nepali mountaineering. In November 2019, a giant Kuwaiti flag, measuring 100m by 30m and weighing 150kg , was unfurled from the top of Mount Ama Dablam without permission. Later, the flag was confiscated by the authorities and taken to the International Mountain Museum in Pokhara. This expedition was organized by the famed climber Nimal Purja ‘Nimsdai’.
This year, Purja’s company Elite Exped helped a Mexican climber set a world record of playing keyboard on top of the world. Juan Diego Martinez Alvarez, also called piano boy, had played a song on keyboard atop Everest to set a Guinness World Record. It was later revealed that he had not taken permission to play keyboard in Everest top.
Consequently, the 19-year-old climber, the youngest Everest summiteer of Mexico, has also been denied summit certificate by the Nepal government.
“He didn’t request a special permission for any other activities, such as the record he was vying for,” said Upadhyaya, “that’s why we have sought clarification from his expedition agency, liaison officer and Alvarez himself.”
Upadhyaya said climbers should obtain prior permission for any extra activities on the summit of the world’s highest peak.
Upadhyaya said that Lipka did not inform authorities about her intention to display the Ukrainian flag in protest of Russian invasion of Ukraine. Similarly, Nepal’s mountaineering regulation bars mountaineers from participating in activities that may compromise national security and reputation.
Lipka had another Instagram post which shows her holding a banner of “Free Navalny” at the Everest top. In the post, she wishes a happy birthday to Alexei Navalny who is the Russian opposition leader and an anti-corruption activist. Navalny has been jailed since early 2021 in Russia on several charges including large scale fraud and court contempt, and have been enlisted as “terrorist and extremist.”
Of the 16 Russian climbers who summited Everest this season, Lipka is the only one who has been denied a summit certificate.
Lipka is said to be out of Russia in fear of possible arrest in home country after the controversial Everest expedition. She could not be reached for comment despite several attempts.
Antonina Samoilova is the only climber from Ukraine this Spring to summit Everest. She too has not been able to return home due to the ongoing war. She is currently at the base camp of K2 in Pakistan.
