Nepal fines solo Everest climber RM95,400

KATHMANDU: A South African attempting to climb Mount Everest alone and without a permit has been ordered off the mountain, had his passport confiscated and will be fined US$22,000 (RM95,400), an official said yesterday.

Ryan Sean Davy, 43, told officials at base camp that he had climbed alone as far as camp two — 6,400m — to acclimatise ahead of a summit push before he was caught.

Foreigners have to pay the government US$11,000 for permission to climb the 8,848m peak, a major earner for the impoverished country.

“I saw him alone near base camp, so I approached him and he ran away,” said Gyanendra Shresth, the government liason officer at base camp.

“I followed him with my friend and found him hiding in a cave nearby. He had set up camp in an isolated place to avoid government officials.”

It is unusual for a foreign climber to attempt to scale Everest alone — most do so with the help of at least one Sherpa guide and a large support team at base camp.

Davy could be banned from Nepal for five years or face a 10year ban on climbing in the country.

Shresth said he had also seized Davy’s passport and told him to return to the capital here to retrieve it. AFP