World’s highest altitude brawl

Fight breaks out between climbers, group of sherpas

DELHI

Three European climbers said Monday they were attacked by a group of sherpas near the summit of Mount Everest in what appears to be the world’s highest altitude brawl.

Violence broke out at about 7,600 metres — 1,665 metres below the peak — after an argument between three Alpine mountaineers and guides in which one sherpa reportedly threatened them with an ice axe and a mob threw stones and rocks after they retreated to a lower camp.

Jonathan Griffith, a Briton, Simone Moro, an Italian, and Ueli Steck, a Swiss. said their lives were saved by the intervention of other Western climbers at Camp 2.

A Nepalese government spokesmen and sherpa leaders confirmed there had been a “fight” and said it was the first such incident they could recall on the world’s highest peak.

One sherpa blamed the “poor English” of the Italian climber and a fellow sherpa for the “misunderstanding” that caused the brawl.

Nepali officials were quick to respond to the incident, which posed a threat to a source of income for one of the world’s poorest countries from royalties paid by foreigners to climb the mountain.

Dipendra Paudel, a tourism ministry spokesman, said the government would ensure the safety and security of the climbers.

“There was a slight misunderstanding and communication gap between them,” he said in Kathmandu after contacting the base camp. “This has been sorted out and the climbers are at the base camp.”

The confrontation happened Saturday after sherpas fixing a route for guided expeditions to Camp 3 became angry at the Europeans for ignoring their request to wait until they had completed their work before stepping over their ropes.

In a statement on Mr. Moro’s website, the climbers said the sherpas’ lead climber had rappeled down at speed and landed on top of Mr. Steck, who raised his hands above his head to protect himself. “This prompted the lead climber to accuse Ueli Steck of ‘touching him’,” they said.

As Mr. Moro arrived, “the lead climber turned on him wielding his ice axe in his direction. Simone swore at the lead climber as is the natural reaction when faced with this aggression”, they said. The climbers descended to Camp 2 where a “mob” of 100 sherpas kicked them and pelted them with rocks They “owed their lives” to a small group of Western climbers at the camp who “acted as a buffer between the out-of-control mob and the climbers.”

Tika Gurung, an executive committee member of the Expedition Operators Association, which represents the sherpas, said the argument began when the Italian climber told one of the sherpas they did not need their guidance because they were solo climbers.

“The problem was the sherpa and the Italian not speaking good English. They said some bad words, there was a misunderstanding. In the high areas, the mind is not so good because of the altitude,” he said.

Sherpa leaders claimed that the guides and the European climbers had resolved their differences in meetings at Everest base camp and in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu Monday.

“There was a handshake and now there is a good situation and they will continue to the summit tomorrow,” said Mr Gurung.

A spokesman for Nepal’s tourism ministry said it was still investigating the allegations and trying to “settle the problem and have already requested the team to continue their expedition.”

But Mr. Griffith dismissed claims they would continue their ascent.

“We are leaving Nepal as soon as we can,” he said.