By Li Hongmei
Three European mountain climbers have abandoned an attempt to conquer Mount Everest in mid-ascent after being attacked by more than a hundred local Sherpas.
On April 29, the three experienced mountaineers - Ueli Steck from Switzerland, Simone Moro from Italy and Jon Griffith from the UK - were at an altitude of about 7,000 meters and climbing unassisted when they were confronted by a small group angry Sherpa guides who threatened them with an ax. Later, after retreating down the mountain to camp 2, the climbers said they were attacked by a larger group of around 100 Sherpas, who punched, kicked and threw rocks at them.
The altercation only ceased after other foreign climbers intervened, allowing the three to descend from camp 2 to base camp. The three have given up their plans to return to scale the summit.
"It was obvious there would be no talking or negotiation," Griffith was reported by the UK's Guardian as saying. "They crested the ridge of moraine above our tent. They had pulled their scarves over their faces and instantly bent down to pick up rocks."
The Nepal Mountaineering Association has confirmed the incident. The Sherpas claim that the three solo climbers ignored requests not to climb over ropes their own group was setting up for guided climbers until they had finished fixing the route. Griffith said the incident was not on account of his group's actions but rather the result of long-term resentment felt by Sherpas towards the perceived disrespect shown to them by "luxury adventurer" climbers, for whom the Sherpas work as guides and perform the most dangerous tasks in helping them climb the mountain.
Many climbers are familiar with the tensions of sharing a route on a dangerous mountain, though Sherpa leaders and officials say they cannot remember an expedition ever being attacked before. Three Sherpas said to be at the center of the incident have been ordered off the mountain and are assisting police with their inquiries.
Since Sir Edmund Hillary first conquered the peak with his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay back in 1953, Everest has been an important source of tourism revenue for Nepal. Local Sherpas used to work under the direction of western guides, but now take responsibility for services which bring tourists and less experienced climbers up the mountain, which includes fixing worn ropes.
Tensions remain between tourism authorities in Kathmandu that collect the US$10,000 fee to climb Everest, the local Sherpa population who live at the foot of the mountain, and western guides.
