Three Indian climbers accused of falsely claiming to have climbed Mount Everest in 2016 have been banned by Nepal from mountaineering in the country for six years.
The alleged false ascent came to light after one of the three, 26-year-old Narender Singh Yadav, was named a potential recipient of the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, after which other Indian mountaineers claimed that the photos of the summit were forged. .
While mountain climbing and rock climbing have occasionally caused controversy over the first ascents, such scandals are less common in the overcrowded world of commercial expeditions to mountain tops like Everest, where there are numerous potential witnesses and there is much less incentive to cheat.
The three banned climbers were named Yadav and Seema Rani Goswami, who allegedly made false claims, and Naba Kumar Phukon, who was the team leader during the Yadav and Goswami climb.
Following the news of the ban on mountaineering in Nepal, Yadav denied any wrongdoing and claimed on Twitter that he had been slandered, adding: “There is no competition between donkeys and horses and the world will continue to bark like that.”
Witnesses, including Phukon, however, claim that the Indian climbers apparently did not have enough oxygen to make the climb.
“This is a victory for the entire mountaineering fraternity and will demotivate others to make such mistakes in the future,” said Phukon, who works with the Assam sports division.
“From day one, I told everyone that Yadav’s claim was untrue and that he had changed his image. I was the leader of the expedition and he was part of the team. He never reached the summit and even had frostbite. He had to be rescued by the Sherpas along with Seema Rani Goswami. ”
The alleged Everest ascent is one of several by Indian teams that have recently caused skepticism. In 2019, three other Indian climbers are accused in Outside magazine of claiming to have climbed the mountain without being higher than Camp 3, an important way from the top.
The Times of India quoted a source from the Indian Ministry of Sports as suggesting that they agree with the Nepalese ban on an investigation that also involves the Indian Mountaineering Federation.
“The Narender Singh Yadav issue is over from our side. In the investigation instituted by the ministry, it was found that he had climbed Everest. He sent in fake photos, “said the source.
Everest ascents are usually verified by a liaison officer of the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism, and climbers must take a photo of themselves on the summit with a clear face look before receiving a top certificate.
In addition to the ban on the Indian climbers, who waited until they returned to India to announce their alleged ascent rather than do so in Nepal, they also received a fine from Seven Summit Treks, which arranged the expedition, fine. Yawa’s Sherpa guide, Dawa Sherpa, has been fined 10,000 Nepalese (60 pounds). They all testified to Yadav’s claims. Yadav and Rani were members of a 14-man commercial expedition.
Mingma Sherpa, of Seven Summit Treks, said it issued the certificate because the claim of the climbers is supported by the accompanying Sherpa guide.
‘If the climbers do a false climb, how will the trekkers get to know it? Our task is to assist in obtaining the permit, organizing the trek and route. The two Indian climbers showed us the photos of their top and we wrote that they had climbed. The Ministry of Tourism in Nepal decides on the certificates, “Mingma Sherpa told Indian Express.
The banned climbers would not be the first to demand councils that they did not complete. Sometimes it is a matter of stopping at a nearby peak, as is often the case in alleged climbs of Mount Manaslu in Nepal – which are more generally accepted – in other cases the controversy is greater.
In 1906, Frederick Cook, who was later convicted of operations, falsely claimed to have made the first ascent of North America’s highest mountain, Denali in Alaska, and posted for a top photo on a rocky mountain.
Perhaps the biggest climbing controversy is directed at the claims of Cesare Maestri – one of Europe’s greatest alpinists, who turned 91 last month – to climb Cerro Torre in Patagonia in 1959, which sparked a decade-long controversy.