By Alan ArnetteClimbing News, Everest, Everest 2024 Coverage, Everest News6 min read

Everest 2024: Sabotage or Self-Promotion – Cut Ropes?

HImex's ropes on K2 in summer 2017

Some operators’ drama never ends, especially on Everest. In a video posted on Sunday, May 27, the founder of Elite Exped claimed the fixed ropes had been cut, preventing his team from going to the summit. Meanwhile, another team, Pioneer Adventures, reported using the ropes to summit.

The leadership of Nepal’s climbing community had strong reactions, as reported by the Himalayan Times. Damber Parajuli, President of the Expedition Operators Association Nepal, is quoted.

“Nims’ claims are baseless and it seems he chose this trick to garner people’s sympathy. Nims, who always wanted to be in the limelight for doing reckless things, had documented a video at the crampon point above Camp II, thinking he was the only team to head for the summit push yesterday. Fortunately, there were other climbers who exposed Nims’ wrongdoings, letting the cat out of the bag,”

He went on to describe Pioneer’s summit:

“Three climbers from Pioneer Adventure – Satyadeep Gupta from India, Pastemba Sherpa and Nima Ungdi Sherpa – made it to the summit of Everest at around 12:50 this morning. The climbers told us that the route and ropes are intact and no ropes were buried or cut down as claimed by Nims.”

Nepal’s Department of Tourism (DoT) reacted uncharacteristic fast to launch an investigation:

Nepal 2024 Department of Tourism cut rope release

 

Here are a few more summit reports as the season wraps up:

  • Dreamers Destinations: 3 Sherpas
  • Pioneer Adventures: 1 client with 1 Sherpa –  1:1
  • Kobler & Partener on May 23: 3 clients with 2 Sherpas –  1.5:1

We await an update from Alpenglow, the only team on the Tibet side. A typhoon made landfall and is moving over India and Bangladesh. It is not expected to impact Everest directly.

Death and Missing Totals

Everest–Seven Deaths

  1. May 23 – Nepali (not a Sherpa) Binod Babu Bastakoti, 37, died near the south Col after summiting and climbing with Yeti Adventure/Pioneer Adventure.
  2. May 22 – British Daniel Paul Paterson, 40, is missing and presumed dead near Hillary Step after summiting and climbing with 8K Expeditions.
  3. May 22 – Pastenji Sherpa, 23, is missing and presumed dead near Hillary Step after summiting with Paterson and climbing with 8K Expeditions.
  4. May 22 – Kenyan Cheruiyot Kirui, 40, died above the Hillary Step, climbing without Os with Seven Summits Treks.
  5. May 22 – Nawang Sherpa, 44, is missing and presumed dead above the Hillary Step, supporting Kirui and climbing with Seven Summits Treks.
  6. May 13 – Mongolian Usukhjargal Tsedendamba, 53,  died on the SE Ridge after summiting, climbing with 8K Expeditions.
  7. May 13 – Mongolian Prevsuren Lkhagvajav, 31, died on the SE Ridge after summiting, climbing with 8K Expeditions.

Lhotse–One Death

  1. May 21 – Romanian Gabriel Tabara, 48, was found dead inside his tent at C3 attempting Lhotse. Climbing with Makalu Adventure.

Nepal Permit Update

The Ministry of Tourism collected USD$5.1 million in royalties, with Everest accounting for USD$4.5 million. This is the 2024 tally for the 8000ers the MoT posted through May 22.:

8000er Teams Male Clients Female Clients Total
Annapurna I 3 14 11 25
Cho Oyu 1 1 0 1
Dhaulagiri 3 22 8 30
Everest 45 345 76 421
Kanchenjunga 5 21 14 35
Lhotse 16 128 28 156
Makalu 7 43 21 64
Manaslu 1 2 0 2
TOTALS 80 574 158 732

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

Here’s the video podcast version of this weekend’s update:

You can listen to #everest2024 podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Breaker, YouTube, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.

Previous Everest 2024 Season Coverage Posts

 Everyday Everest

A 16-part podcast series during the Everest 2024 climbing season.

Based on my Fictional 2020 Virtual Everest series, I posted a twenty-minute updated episode a few times a week throughout this season. Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push. The story’s protagonist, Harper, sets the tone for the story when she tells her husband, Marc, “Honey, I’m going to climb Everest.”

You can listen to Everyday Everest on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Breaker, YouTube, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.

Previous Everyday Everest Episodes

Why this coverage?

I like to use these weekend updates to remind my readers that I’m just one guy who loves climbing. With 38 serious climbing expeditions, including four Everest trips under my belt and a summit in 2011, I use my site to share those experiences, demystify Everest each year and bring awareness to Alzheimer’s Disease. My mom, Ida Arnette, died from this disease in 2009, as have four of my aunts. It was a heartbreaking experience that I hope no other family will go through; thus, I asked for donations to non-profits, which 100% goes to them and nothing ever to me.
donate to Alzheimers

Ida Arnette 1926-2009

Preparing for Everest is more than Training

There are five Summit Coach  clients on Everest in 2024

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If you dream of climbing mountains but are unsure how to start or reach your next level, from a Colorado 14er to Rainier, Everest, or even K2, we can help. Summit Coach is a consulting service that helps aspiring climbers worldwide achieve their goals through a personalized set of consulting services based on Alan Arnette’s 30 years of high-altitude mountain experience and 30 years as a business executive. Please see our prices and services on the Summit Coach website.

Everest Season Special through May 31, 2024: 10% discount on all plans.    Mention Everest 2024

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5 thoughts on “Everest 2024: Sabotage or Self-Promotion – Cut Ropes?”

  1. I just watched a video of Nims showing video evidence on Instagram of the cut rope. But he says “they are calling me a liar”. Why would he say that before anyone called him one? Would they have climbed back up to show the lines? Can you tell if they are at a specific place on Everest in the video and when it was made?

    Reply

  2. Only from what I have read, that people were stuck due to no rope and someone secured a new one to get the line moving again

    Reply

  3. Didn’t a rope break and a few people fell down the tibet side. I know they put a new rope on, but could this team have by accident picked up the broken one. And thank you Allen for another year of great coverage. I look forward to this every year. You are the best!

    Reply

    1. I had the impression that the people who fell down and were lost were not clipped in, whereas those who fell and were able to climb back up were clipped in. I hadn’t heard anything about a rope break, but perhaps I missed it. Alan, do you know?

      Reply

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