KATHMANDU, Nepal-Government authorities are learnt to step up investigations into the attempts made by two veteran Italian mountaineers who aim to set the world record through a skiing descent from the South face of 8,516 meter high Mt. Lhotse after scaling it from the same route.
Government officials initiated probes after the noted mountaineers and ski trainers Edmond Joyeusaz and Federico Colli allegedly made attempt skiing sans taking permissions from the authorities concerned here in Nepal. Both the aspirants climbers have already left for the Lhotse South Face — the steep rock and ice wall. The team had arrived in Kathmandu on September 1 and flew to Lukla on September 6.
Their expedition is learnt to be managed by Kathmandu based Amici Treks & Expedition.
According to Tilak Ram Pandey, an official at the Department of Mountaineering under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the veteran climbers were only given permission to scale the Mt. Lhotse instead of skiing and take drone-mounted photographs.
‘We are trying to get details about their activities including the use of drone mounted camera,’ thehimalayantimes quoted Pandey as saying.
Pandey confirmed that Amici treks has applied for ski permit and the department was reviewing it. According to him, the ministry has also summoned the Amici team Wednesday.
However, Govinda Poudel, Managing Director of the company claimed the team had not got additional permission to ski-descent the mountain. “We have no inkling about the drone fly photographs but we will obtain ski permit from the ministry in a day or two,” the website quoted Paudel as his statement
In the meantime, conservation officials have made it clear that anyone should have to take permission from Sagarmatha National Park before taking aerial shot with a drone. Ram Chandra Kandel, chief of the Park is learnt to ask the concerned department to action after the incident was reported adding fines will be slapped if the mountaineers found guilty.
However, Ministry sources blamed the company for trying to keep officials in the dark.
Today was a deserved day of relaxation at the base camp. We rearranged the photographs, we regained our forces, we ate adequately and before the wind reached us we made our drone fly, taking some nice aerial photos of the base camp, Federico states in his blog posted on an official web page of the LSC (http://lhotseskichallenge.com) on September 23.
Are people allowed to breathe?
rules need to be respected