Police investigate fight on Mt Everest

Mountaineers descend from the summit of Mount Everest. Police are investigating after a brawl reportedly broke out between climbers and their Nepalese guides. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

POLICE near Mount Everest are investigating reports of a fight on the upper reaches of the world's highest mountain between two foreign climbers and their Nepalese guides, officials said.

"We were told our clients and the guides fought on their way to camp three. We don't have all the details yet, but our clients have come down off the peak," said Anish Gupta of Cho-Oyu Trekking, the Kathmandu-based company that organised the expedition.

He said that one of the clients, a Swiss national, had descended the mountain and was currently waiting for a flight back to Kathmandu.

The other client, an Italian, remained at Everest Base Camp and may still try to summit the 8848-metre peak.

Sitaram Karki, the chief district officer in Solukhumbu, the region where Everest stands, said the police were conducting an investigation, but the details were still unclear.

"There are communication issues high on the mountain, but we have received the reports of a fight and deployed our team to investigate the incident," Mr Karki said.

More than 3000 people have climbed Everest, which straddles Nepal and China, since it was first conquered by New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese guide Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Every year hundreds more set out in April to attempt the climb.

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Police investigate fight on Mt Everest

Mountaineers descend from the summit of Mount Everest. Police are investigating after a brawl reportedly broke out between climbers and their Nepalese guides. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

POLICE near Mount Everest are investigating reports of a fight on the upper reaches of the world's highest mountain between two foreign climbers and their Nepalese guides, officials said.

"We were told our clients and the guides fought on their way to camp three. We don't have all the details yet, but our clients have come down off the peak," said Anish Gupta of Cho-Oyu Trekking, the Kathmandu-based company that organised the expedition.

He said that one of the clients, a Swiss national, had descended the mountain and was currently waiting for a flight back to Kathmandu.

The other client, an Italian, remained at Everest Base Camp and may still try to summit the 8848-metre peak.

Sitaram Karki, the chief district officer in Solukhumbu, the region where Everest stands, said the police were conducting an investigation, but the details were still unclear.

"There are communication issues high on the mountain, but we have received the reports of a fight and deployed our team to investigate the incident," Mr Karki said.

More than 3000 people have climbed Everest, which straddles Nepal and China, since it was first conquered by New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese guide Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Every year hundreds more set out in April to attempt the climb.

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Down's syndrome boy sets Everest record

Eli Reimer poses at Everest Base Camp in the shadow of Mount Everest. The 15-year-old has become the first teenager with Down's Syndrome to reach Everest Base Camp. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

A 15-YEAR-OLD American has become the first teenager with Down's syndrome to reach Everest Base Camp, according to his father, in an attempt to inspire different attitudes towards disabilities.

Eli Reimer, from Oregon, reached the 5364-metres high camp in Nepal's Himalayan mountains in mid-March after 10 days of trekking.

"Part of the focus of this trek was on having at least one disabled trekker go with us and, through their attempt, point to the abilities of the 'dis'-abled," said his father Justin, who was part of the expedition team.

The trek was also a fundraiser for the Elisha Foundation, founded by Eli's parents, which works with disabled people and their families.

While Eli is thought to be the first teen to reach the base camp, a 35-year-old man with Down's syndrome from Britain had previously made the same trip.

Down's syndrome, a condition in which the person has an extra chromosome, can cause cognitive delays, but advances in medicine, education, and social inclusion have meant that many live independently as adults.

"He's sort of a superstar at school now," his father said, explaining that Eli is in his second year of high school and attends a combination of "life skills" and mainstream courses.

Asked what he would tell his classmates when he returned to school this week, Eli said: "I liked base camp and being with my new friends on the trekking team."

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first summit of Mount Everest, which has subsequently been scaled thousands of times including by dozens of world record breakers.

Tom Whittaker, a British mountaineer, became the first person with a disability to summit the peak in 1998 after a car crash almost two decades earlier had forced him to have his foot amputated.

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Explore Mount Everest via Google Maps

Google Mountain View: Mount Everest from the high-point of 5,545m Kala Pattar near Everest Base Camp. Trekkers climb to catch a glimpse of Everest at sunrise. Photo: Google Maps Source: Supplied

• Project takes Google Maps to new and extreme heights
• Lucky engineer leads Google Mountain Enthusiast team
• Team use lightweight tripod and camera with fish-eye lens

GOOGLE Street View have unveiled breathtaking new views from four of the Seven Summits - the highest mountains on each of the seven continents.

Taking desktop travellers to places they're only imagined visiting, you can now explore some of the most famous mountains on Earth, including Aconcagua (South America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Elbrus (Europe) and Everest (Asia).

Google Mountain View: view from the tallest mountain in Europe, Russia's Mount Elbrus, 5,642m. Photo: Google Maps

Explore Everest, Kilimanjaro and more with Google Maps

Google Mountain View: base camp Mount Elbrus in Russia, the highest mountain in Europe at 5,642m. Photo: Google Maps

Collected with a simple lightweight tripod and digital camera with a fisheye lens, it's never been easier to explore the world's wildest places from the comfort of home.

Google Mountain View: Uhuru is the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro at 5,895m. Photo: Google Maps

These mountains belong to the group of peaks known as the Seven Summits — the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.

Google Mountain View: Kilimanjaro Moir Hut. Photo: Google Maps

While there's nothing quite like standing on the mountain, with Google Maps you can instantly transport yourself to the top of these peaks and enjoy the sights without all of the avalanches, rock slides, crevasses, and dangers from altitude and weather that mountaineers face.

Google Mountain View: Kilimanjaro Moir Hut. Photo: Google Maps

Start your adventure on Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, the dormant volcano known as the Roof of Africa. See amazing views of the highest freestanding mountain in the world covered in snow just three degrees south of the equator. At 5895m, Uhuru is the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Google Mountain View: Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western and Southern Hemispheres at 6,962m. Photo: Google Maps

Next, travel to the tallest mountain in Europe, Russia's Mount Elbrus (5,642m), and see huts made from Soviet-era fuel barrels. Climbers have to take refuge in the huts built on the mountain when the weather turns wretched.

Google Mountain View: Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western and Southern Hemispheres at 6,962m. Photo: Google Maps

Explore Argentina's mighty Aconcagua, the highest peak in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres at 6,962m. See how a base camp is set up amongst the exposed rock in Plaza Argentina and how expeditions eat, camp and prepare for their ascent.

Google Mountain View: Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western and Southern Hemispheres at 6,962m. Photo: Google Maps

Finally, make your way to Everest Base Camp at 5,364m, where expeditions stage their attempts to reach the top of the world. Along the ascent, steal glimpses of the snow-capped Himalayan mountain peaks and the awesome Khumbu glacier.

Google Mountain View: Tengboche Monastery near Everest base-camp. Photo: Google Maps

The route to Everest Base Camp is one of the most popular trekking routes in the Himalayas and is visited by thousands of trekkers each year.
 

Google Mountain View: passionate mountaineer and Google engineer Dan Fredinburg led the Google Mountain Enthusiast team. Photo: Google Maps

View the original article here

Explore Mount Everest via Google Maps

Google Mountain View: Mount Everest from the high-point of 5,545m Kala Pattar near Everest Base Camp. Trekkers climb to catch a glimpse of Everest at sunrise. Photo: Google Maps Source: Supplied

• Project takes Google Maps to new and extreme heights
• Lucky engineer leads Google Mountain Enthusiast team
• Team use lightweight tripod and camera with fish-eye lens

GOOGLE Street View have unveiled breathtaking new views from four of the Seven Summits - the highest mountains on each of the seven continents.

Taking desktop travellers to places they're only imagined visiting, you can now explore some of the most famous mountains on Earth, including Aconcagua (South America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Elbrus (Europe) and Everest (Asia).

Google Mountain View: view from the tallest mountain in Europe, Russia's Mount Elbrus, 5,642m. Photo: Google Maps

Explore Everest, Kilimanjaro and more with Google Maps

Google Mountain View: base camp Mount Elbrus in Russia, the highest mountain in Europe at 5,642m. Photo: Google Maps

Collected with a simple lightweight tripod and digital camera with a fisheye lens, it's never been easier to explore the world's wildest places from the comfort of home.

Google Mountain View: Uhuru is the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro at 5,895m. Photo: Google Maps

These mountains belong to the group of peaks known as the Seven Summits — the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.

Google Mountain View: Kilimanjaro Moir Hut. Photo: Google Maps

While there's nothing quite like standing on the mountain, with Google Maps you can instantly transport yourself to the top of these peaks and enjoy the sights without all of the avalanches, rock slides, crevasses, and dangers from altitude and weather that mountaineers face.

Google Mountain View: Kilimanjaro Moir Hut. Photo: Google Maps

Start your adventure on Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, the dormant volcano known as the Roof of Africa. See amazing views of the highest freestanding mountain in the world covered in snow just three degrees south of the equator. At 5895m, Uhuru is the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Google Mountain View: Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western and Southern Hemispheres at 6,962m. Photo: Google Maps

Next, travel to the tallest mountain in Europe, Russia's Mount Elbrus (5,642m), and see huts made from Soviet-era fuel barrels. Climbers have to take refuge in the huts built on the mountain when the weather turns wretched.

Google Mountain View: Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western and Southern Hemispheres at 6,962m. Photo: Google Maps

Explore Argentina's mighty Aconcagua, the highest peak in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres at 6,962m. See how a base camp is set up amongst the exposed rock in Plaza Argentina and how expeditions eat, camp and prepare for their ascent.

Google Mountain View: Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western and Southern Hemispheres at 6,962m. Photo: Google Maps

Finally, make your way to Everest Base Camp at 5,364m, where expeditions stage their attempts to reach the top of the world. Along the ascent, steal glimpses of the snow-capped Himalayan mountain peaks and the awesome Khumbu glacier.

Google Mountain View: Tengboche Monastery near Everest base-camp. Photo: Google Maps

The route to Everest Base Camp is one of the most popular trekking routes in the Himalayas and is visited by thousands of trekkers each year.
 

Google Mountain View: passionate mountaineer and Google engineer Dan Fredinburg led the Google Mountain Enthusiast team. Photo: Google Maps

View the original article here