Rape and sexual harassment rock the mountaineering community, from Nimsdai to Charles Barret

The mountaineering community has been rocked by serious accusations against one of its most prominent figures. However, insiders claim that the issue is not limited to just one person. The fallout from the allegations against rockstar British-Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja, who has been accused of sexual harassment and assault, has resulted in brands and tour companies distancing themselves from the 40-year-old. However, members of the community believe that the culture of mountaineering as a whole needs to change to create a safer environment for women. The controversy began on May 31 when Lotta Hintsa, a mountaineer and model from Finland, accused Purja of serious misconduct in a hotel room in Kathmandu last year. Hintsa claimed that he forcibly undressed her and exposed himself. Another victim, US doctor April Leonardo, came forward with similar allegations. She stated that during a 2022 expedition to K2, the second-highest mountain in the world in Pakistan, Purja entered her tent and kissed her without consent. Leonardo was a client of Purja’s company Elite Exped, which provides guided climbs on the highest mountains. In response, Purja vehemently denied the allegations via an Instagram story, calling them defamatory and false.

MP calls for ban on climber Nims Purja, Osprey ends partnership over sexual abuse allegations

MP Rajendra Bajgain has called for the government to prevent well-known climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja from returning to Nepal. This request comes following a report in The New York Times alleging that Purja had committed sexual assault. According to the article, Finnish climber Lotta Hintsa and American physician Dr. April Leonardo have accused Purja of sexual misconduct during their joint expeditions. During a session in the House of Representatives on June 4, Nepali Congress MP Bajgain declared that Purja’s actions have damaged Nepal’s reputation, not only due to these recent allegations but also because of his accusations against Sherpas of tampering with ropes during expeditions. Bajgain mentioned that despite having British citizenship, Purja continues to use Nepali citizenship for climbing and later renounces it. The allegations have caused shockwaves in the global climbing community, prompting many climbers and organizations to call for action against Purja and to encourage his sponsors to cut ties with him. Influential figures in the mountaineering community have condemned Purja publicly, stressing the importance of adopting a zero tolerance policy toward sexual predation. American guide Adrian Ballinger was one of the first to address the issue on social media, stating, “This week one of Everest’s biggest new stars, Nirmal Purja (Nimsdai), was credibly accused of sexual assault by multiple women.” Ballinger highlighted the significance of addressing such risks within the mountaineering community. Renowned climber Kilian Jornet also reacted, acknowledging that the male-dominated environment of mountaineering often silences victims and emphasizing the need for a more secure and equitable culture in the sport.

Garrett Madison, a mountaineer from the United States, expressed similar thoughts, saying “There are always a lot of firsts on the mountain. This is not one we welcome or can tolerate.” Purja has been condemned by several expedition operators, including Adventure Consultants, AW Expeditions, and Climbing the Seven Summits. The Women of Mountaineering group also showed their support for the victims and their dedication to changing the gender dynamics in mountaineering. In response to these developments, Osprey Packs, an American outdoor backpack company, ended their partnership with Purja. They stated, “Osprey is aware of the recent allegations made against mountaineer Nirmal Purja (Nims). He is no longer an Osprey ambassador.” Additionally, Nims is also a brand ambassador of Scarpa. Scarpa World posted on their social media, saying “We recognize the importance of dealing with this circumstance seriously and responsibly, so we wait for developments through the appropriate channels.” On the other hand, Grivel, an Italian producer of climbing equipment, faced criticism for their handling of the situation. Photographer and climber Emma Svensson, a Grivel brand ambassador, terminated her partnership with the company and criticized their response to the allegations. She later posted screenshots of a message from Grivel’s CEO in a WhatsApp group made up of Grivel’s brand ambassadors, along with her response and her announcement ending the collaboration.

Climbing Community Reacts to NYT Article on Nirmal Purja

The recent article in The New York Times has elicited a strong reaction from the climbing community. Lotta Hintsa of Finland and U.S. physician April Leonardo have accused Nirmal Purja of sexual assault, and this has led to influential figures such as Adrian Ballinger and Kilian Jornet, as well as expedition outfitters, women climbers, and sponsors, speaking out in support of the women who shared their experiences with The Times. Meanwhile, Purja has provided limited comments and has blocked the option to be tagged on social media. American guide Adrian Ballinger was in Chengdu celebrating his Alpenglow group’s success on the North Side of Everest when the news broke, and he immediately shared the article.

“I am sharing this article to encourage victims to speak out with our support,” he wrote on Instagram. “I am deeply involved in this community and have a good sense of where the truth lies.” His post attracted a lot of comments from other well-known climbers, including Kilian Jornet, who also shared about it. Jornet’s 1.5 million Instagram followers and another influential post by professional skier Cody Townsend quickly spread the news. Other Western outfitters, such as Climbing the 7 Summits, Furtenbach Adventures, and Adventure Consultants, followed Ballinger within the next 12 hours. All posts indicated that the allegations against Purja are “credible” and expressed support for the brave women who spoke out. They also promised to prevent such events from happening under their watch. “We must create a safe and respectful environment for everyone who trusts us with their mountain adventures,” Furtenbach’s company stated. “We talk about community and taking care of one another, but we have never let part of our family suffer in silence like this before,” Garrett Madison wrote. “There are always a lot of firsts on the mountains. This is not one we welcome or can tolerate.”

AWExpeditions, a travel company focused on outdoor adventures for women, expressed their surprise at the accusations. “Regrettably, we can confidently say, based on numerous informal discussions, that this high-profile case is just the beginning of a widespread problem in the mountaineering community,” the company commented. Lotta Hintsa, one of the women who spoke out against Purja in the NYT article, has stated that many other women have reached out to her to share similar experiences. “It appears that many people have been anticipating this news for a long time,” Hintsa remarked. “It’s clear that many are aware. Now is the time to speak up.”

A recurring problem

The issue is not a new one. Outdoor companies recognize that harassment and abuse based on gender is a serious problem in the outdoors.”It’s time to address the topic of women in the mountains,” Caroline Pemberton and Mike Hamill, the owners of Climbing the 7 Summits, stated. “Almost every woman I know has experienced some form of micro-aggression, harassment, and/or abuse.”Melissa Arnot, the first American woman to reach the summit of Everest without supplemental oxygen and a professional high-altitude mountain guide, has been discussing this issue for years, drawing from her own difficult experiences, as she shared on Instagram today.

More than two million Instagram followers

In 2019, Purja gained global attention by accomplishing the extraordinary feat of summiting all 14 “eight-thousander” mountains — the tallest peaks in the world over 8,000 meters — in a mere six months. This monumental achievement required the use of bottled oxygen, a skilled Sherpa team, and helicopters to swiftly transition from one mountain to the next. By comparison, it took Reinhold Messner 16 years to accomplish the same feat in 1986. A Netflix documentary titled “14 Peaks — Nothing is Impossible,” which was released in 2021, further amplified Purja’s renown, leading to a following of over two million on Instagram. The Nepalese mountaineer, a former elite soldier of the British Gurkha Regiment, resides with his wife and daughter in the county of Hampshire in the southern part of England. His remarkable contributions to high-altitude mountaineering were recognized in 2018 when he received an honor from Queen Elizabeth II.

Expedition organizers shun Purja

Several Western commercial expedition operators are now distancing themselves from Purja. Austrian company Furtenbach Adventures took to Instagram to express their shock and deep sadness, stating that Purja, who was once an important role model in the community, has been accused of sexual assault by several women. The company unequivocally condemned such behavior and emphasized that it has no place in their community. Similarly, Adrian Ballinger, the head of US tour operator Alpenglow Expeditions, emphasized the need for zero tolerance towards sexual offenses. He also emphasized that the recent incident involving Purja is not an isolated case in the climbing community, and that there is a need for improvement. AWExpeditions, a US firm specializing in mountaineering tours for women, expressed their disappointment and stated that the high-profile case involving Purja is just the tip of the iceberg of a systemic issue in mountaineering.

‘Played my part’

Professional climber Melissa Arnot has revealed that sexual harassment is a pervasive issue within the world of mountaineering. She shared her own experiences of being told to “flirt back or be excluded” and to “smile and play [her] part” as a young mountain guide. The 40-year-old mentioned that she was even referred to as the “total package” by a supervisor, who used her age and size as a selling point to clients. Arnot, who has climbed Mount Everest six times, has spoken out amid a wider scandal involving mountaineer Purja. In Nepal, there are calls for Purja to be banned from entering the country due to allegations of sexual misconduct against female climbers. Additionally, the British company Osprey has severed ties with Purja. The mounting repercussions of these revelations have prompted the mountaineering community to question whether more cases of this nature will be exposed in the future.

Star rock climber Charles Barrett sentenced to life in prison for sexual assaults at Yosemite

A Santa Rosa local and well-known rock climber has been handed a life sentence in federal penitentiary for sexually assaulting someone in Yosemite National Park, according to federal prosecutors. Charles Barrett, aged 40, was convicted in February on two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact after the incidents occurred over a weekend in the park, which was not only where he worked but also called home. The abuse occurred three times over a weekend in the summer of 2016, when one victim had gone to Yosemite for a hiking excursion. These details were released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

During the legal proceedings, three additional women stepped forward and claimed that he had sexually assaulted them. These incidents were not under federal jurisdiction, but prosecutors stated that they were relevant to the assaults he was charged with. U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert stated that “The defendant utilized his fame and physical presence as a rock climber to entice and intimidate victims who were part of the rock-climbing community.” He also added, “His aggressive sexual assaults had a devastating impact on the victims, who he later intimidated leading up to the trial.” Regarding the calls made by Barrett while in custody, the U.S. Attorney’s Office mentioned that he made “hundreds” of calls and displayed no regret or remorse, instead making threats of violence and legal action against the victims. Climbing magazine recognized Barrett as a prominent figure in the California climbing community for 20 years, and he is also known as the author of multiple climbing guides.