Nepal's Department of Tourism (DoT) has launched an investigation after it became apparent that a group of climbers climbed Mount Everest without obtaining the required permits from the government.

“We received information that a group of climbers climbed Everest without climbing permits. The Expedition Monitoring and Facilitation Field Office in the base camp is looking into the issues. This has not been established yet,” said Rakesh Gurung, chief of the mountaineering section at the Department of Tourism. 

According to DoT, Elite Exped, operated by renowned climber Nimsdai Purja, had permits for Lingtren Peak (6,713m) but allowed 11 climbers to use the Everest route. Permits are mandatory for all climbers excluding guides, with Lingtren Peak permits costing USD 400, while Everest permits cost USD 11,000 per person.

The climbers under investigation are Thomas Vendelbo Brown (Denmark), James Anthony Mclaughlin (UK), Kayla Perez (US), Amitha K Harsha (US), Galen Arthur Woodmansee (UK), Pawel Blazniak (Poland), Glen Philip Mallen (UK), Isabella Aimee Gareh (UK), Carine Jacqueline Solange Louyot (France), Robert James Hutchinson (US), and Richard Dean Gilpin (US). 

Most of the group members crossed the Khumbu Glacier, and some even reached up to Camp III, according to DoT’s preliminary investigation.

Elite Exped reportedly obtained Everest permits for Kayla Perez and Robert James Hutchinson from Seven Summit Treks after the revelation. 

Gurung said the investigation into the expedition agency and climbers would proceed regardless of the two permits later acquired to amend their fault. 

The existing laws allow the Department of Tourism to impose penalties on the expedition, ban the climbers, or revoke the licenses of the expedition agencies for violating climbing rules.

The Elite Exped communication team through a mail refuted all allegations. It insisted none of its client ever climbed Everest without permit.

"We have several packages we run at Everest, which require different Permits. We have a Lobuche East Peak package which features bespoke training at EBC. We have a training set up at our EBC camp where clients can practise skills they will later use to climb Lobuche." the mail read.

The company said everything was done as per the regulations. "....All climbers for Lingtren permit to train in EBC did not go any further than training in the lower Khumbu Icefall in and around the vicinity of the base camp. They had a separate permit for climbing Lobuche. The training in the base camp took place no more than 30 - 40 meters in front of our base camp. And our acclimatizations hike went up to the Khumbu Viewpoint which is generic point for hiking and acclimitization," it said.

It remains to be seen whether the DoT will be able to act against the offense, given how Nimsdai managed to go scot-free despite flouting rules repeatedly in the past. 

In 2019, he attracted controversy for unfurling a giant Kuwaiti flag from the summit of Ama Dablam – a mountain many consider sacred. He allegedly received funds from expedition members to acquire necessary permits to display and film the flag, which he failed to purchase. 

In 2022, he faced criticism after taking the official football of the Qatar 2022 World Cup to the summit of Everest. His agency has also been under scrutiny for allowing overnight stays for trekkers at the base camp, against the rules that prohibit such activities.

Purja shot to fame by setting a record for climbing all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters in less than seven months – a feat featured in a popular Netflix documentary. This record was later broken in 2023 by Kristin Harila and her guide Tenjen Sherpa, who set a new record by climbing the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters (26,246 feet) in just three months and one day.

This story has been updated to include the email response of communication team of Elite Expedition, in which the company refuted all accusations made against the company.