South African man faces R300k fine for climbing Everest

Former Scottburgh resident Ryan Sean Davy was fined R300 000 for trying to climb Mount Everest without a permit, the South Coast Herald reports.

Davy, 42, told the Mail it was his greatest dream – now dashed by red tape.

He was ordered off the mountain and had his passport confiscated. Davy had obtained a trekker’s information management system card on March 19 from the Nepalese Tourism Board, but not a climbing permit, which he needed in order to attempt summiting Everest legally.

According to the director-general of the country’s department of tourism, Dinesh Bhattarai, Davy managed to head for Everest without being granted a climbing permit from the DoT.

Speaking to his followers on his Facebook page, Davy said: “I am going to be honest in saying that, when I arrived at Base Camp, it became evident that I didn’t have nearly enough money for a solo permit because of hidden costs and, even if I did, they would have declined it because I had no previous mountaineering experience on record. I was ashamed that I couldn’t afford the permit after all the help, preparation and what everybody had done for me during my training, it would have been a total embarrassment to turn around and accept defeat because of a piece of paper.”

He added that he chose to spend more money – the little he had left – on additional gear to climb and practice on the surrounding peaks in preparation of a ‘stealth entry’ on to Everest.

Foreigners who go to summit Everest do so at a cost of R150 000, just for permission to climb the 8 848-metre peak. The funds are paid to the Nepalese government.

According to a report, government liaison officer Gyanendra Shresth spotted Davy on his own and, when he approached him, Davy ran. Shresth and a friend chased Davy and found him hiding in a nearby cave, where he had apparently set up camp to avoid detection by government officials.

Davy is now facing the possibility of a five-year ban from Nepal or a 10-year ban on mountain climbing in Nepal.

The disappointed man added that he was treated like a murderer and harassed at Base Camp.

“A true testimony of how money has become more important than decency,” he said.

Davy is being held in custody until the R300 000 fine has been paid.

– Caxton News Service