Nirmal Purja made bold claims on Sunday, posting on Instagram that the ropes on Everest were cut shortly below the summit just as he was about to lead a team there. But a Pioneer Expedition team meeting today reported to ExplorersWeb and others that the ropes were in place. Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism will investigate.
The video
In an Instagram video posted on Sunday, May 26, the Elite Exped leader from above Camp 2 on Everest spoke into the camera.
“She [not identifying who] cut the rope just below the South Summit, above the balcony. Everyone knew that my team is going for the top,” he said.
Blaming ‘dirty politics’, Purja said he had remained silent so far to protect the industry, but he was so fed up with it that he decided to speak out.
“Since 2019, I have lived with disgusting and dirty politics and tactics simply because I have disrupted the industry and been extremely successful,” he said in the video. “People always try to bring me down.”
His message is embedded below:
In a second video in the same post, Purja recorded a conversation in Nepali between someone named Mingmar and Babu Sherpa at the base camp. In the video’s captions, Mingmar confirms: “The ropes appear to be cut and thrown to the other side [of the mountain].”
A Peak Promotion team was in Everest’s summit area conducting a cleanup campaign, outfitter and guide Mingma G told ExplorersWeb. “They’re doing cleanup programs, and they’ve taken down three or four bodies this year, and they’ve gone up and brought them [down] one more,” he said.
During that mission, the team reported the suspected rope cuts to their leader, Babu Sherpa. ExplorersWeb has asked Babu Sherpa for confirmation and we are waiting for his response.
The reaction
The video went viral among the climbing community and many comments on the post supported Purja. But a Sherpa pointed out some problems.
“No one would have… deliberately cut a land line in the mountains,” wrote Nga Tenjin Sherpa of The Summit Force. “If someone did that, the government would be prepared to impose severe penalties. [but] Nims cannot accuse others without proof. If his claims are untrue, it could cause significant problems for him.”
The huge summit waves on the mountain peaked in the middle of last week. Since then, numbers at the summits have declined. But a handful of climbers reached the summit of Everest on Saturday. Among them was Purnima Shrestha from Nepal, equipped by 8K Expeditions. It was her third top this season, a record for women. She reported no problems with the ropes.
Monday’s summits report everything well
Today a Pioneer Expedition Team also reached the peaks of both Lhotse and Everest. Indian climber Satyadeep Gupta climbed Everest shortly after midnight today and then Lhotse at noon local time. Gupta was supported by Pastemba Sherpa and Nima Ungdi Sherpa.
It was not only a rare double-header, but also a double-double, as Gupta had already climbed both Everest and Lhotse last week. He first reached the summit of Everest on May 21 at 4:25 am and Lhotse on May 22 at 7:00 am. This second time he wanted to achieve both in less than eight hours.
We asked Pioneer today about the condition of the ropes and they confirmed that the ropes were tight and in place.
Purja’s video prompted Pioneer expedition leaders to advise the top team to be extra careful.
“We have warned my members and Sherpas to be alert [of potential difficulties with the ropes] and it made them slow down,” spokesperson Nivesh Karki told ExplorersWeb.
Karki confirmed that guides and climbers had no problems with the ropes. Gupta ultimately reached both peaks in 11 hours and 15 minutes, falling short of his goal of eight hours.
We asked Elite Expedition for more details about the ropes and their thoughts on what could have happened. They said an Elite Exped team led by Purja is currently on its way to the summit. They will give a full explanation once the team is back down.
Nepal DoT opens investigation
The leaders and operators of the Everest expedition comment on the issue, but mostly off the record. There is widespread concern that Purja’s comment could hurt the freight forwarding industry.
The issue quickly reached Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. Today, the Ministry of Tourism issued a press release announcing a legal investigation against Nirmal Purja “for spreading misinformation with the intention of gaining popularity.”
The press release also confirms the facts mentioned in this story.
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