A US mountaineer reportedly jumped off from Camp II of Mt. Everest illegally.
According to the different sources, Darren John Verploegen from Montana, USA, glided off from Camp II of Mt. Everest on Sunday, April 22, 2023, without obtaining a gliding permit from the Ministry of Tourism in Nepal. Flying anywhere in Nepal also requires a permit from the Civil Aviation Authority.
It is illegal to paraglide from Mt. Everest without permits from the government, and very few, or in rare cases, receive such permits. While Darren reported that he was unaware of the permits, the Ministry of Tourism informed him that if found guilty, he would be banned from any climbing expeditions in Nepal.
The expedition director from Seven Summits, Chhang Dawa Sherpa, said, “Darren John has only obtained a permit to climb Mt. Everest”. He added that the 37-year-old climber was part of a 14-member international Everest expedition. Darren was part of a 14-member group, carried his paragliding gear, and jumped off despite the warning from the expedition company.
Rules are made to be followed. This controversial stunt from US climber Darren has caused widespread dissatisfaction among mountaineering and adventure sports personalities including EBC tour enthusiasts. Gliding without notice or a permit is illegal. Also, it is a risk to one’s life and can cause several other consequences.
Immediately after Darren took off, the monitoring team reported the incident to Kathmandu over the phone. After he landed, the monitoring committee at base camp took hold of his paragliding gear. The committee includes members from the Nepal Army, representatives from the DoT, the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA), and the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC).
Given the different security issues, Nepal discourages gliding off Mount Everest. And Nepal issued its first-ever paragliding permit from Mount Everest in 2022 for Pierre Carter, who became the first person to paraglide legally.
After the incident, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Tourism said, “Mount Everest is not a playground, and adventurers must respect the laws and regulations in place.” He added, “We will take strict action against anyone found violating the rules and endangering their own life and the lives of others.”
After Nims Dai and Kristin Harila’s 14-peak attempt, the number of people climbing 8000-meter peaks has significantly increased. Thus, the Nepal government should pay great attention to mountaineering and remind everyone to follow the rules of the government. Climbing Mount Everest is already a challenging task, and it’s not a place to take shortcuts or bend the rules.
