The Department of Tourism is all set to take legal action against famed mountaineer Nimsdai Purja for posting a video on Instagram, saying the fixed line above Balcony has been cut in what appeared to be an attempt to prevent his team from scaling Mount Everest.
The Department, in a statement issued on Monday, expressed concerns over Purja’s false information about the fixed line, saying the claims were baseless and made to gain popularity. The Department said it will look into the issue and seek legal action against him, without specifying what action would it entail.
Purja, in the video, talks to Babu Sherpa in his walkie talkie that the rope was found cut off, forcing Babu’s team to bring down the body to turn back. “… but climbers from Pioneer Adventure reached the summit of Everest at 12.45 am Monday morning..,” read the statement.
The Department insisted that there was no problem with the fixed line, appealing to all climbers to continue climbing.
On May 26, Nimsdai posted a video of a radio conversation between his climbing guides, base camp manager and then himself and his team leader in an Instagram post, in which his climbing guide leading clients tells him that the line has been cut off above Balcony.
The post has received over 36,000 likes and hundreds of comments, mostly criticizing Nepali government and expedition practices.
The Expedition Operator’s Association Nepal (EOAN), responsible for fixing the line above Camp II, also objected to Nimsdai’s video clip. The EOAN also held an emergency meeting to discuss the issue and demanded the government investigate the false claim by Purja. The umbrella organization of the outfitters also issued a statement reiterating successful summits after Purja’s claim also proves him false.
The EOAN said Purja’s false claim has hurt the trust of adventure and mountaineering tourism, expedition operators, mountain guides and high-altitude workers that had been built in the past 70 years.
Purja’s post was well received by his 2.1 million followers on Instagram. His post received 38,000 likes and hundreds of comments. And most of the comments were sympathetic towards Purja.
Sherpa guides were in disbelief that the rope was found snapped. For the past seven decades, Sherpa climbing guides have been laying ladders through Khumbu Icefall and lay the fixed lines above Camp II to the summit of the world’s highest peak. Not a single problem has been reported in 20 years.
“His message is deliberate, aiming at defaming Nepal’s adventure tourism. It is tantamount to offense against the state,” said Khimlal Gautam, field officer deployed in the base camp.
