A local mountaineering company is facing more than the usual challenges as it tries to get 24 climbers to the summit of 29,035-foot Mount Everest.
Nepal has imposed a near-blackout on communication on the south side of Mount Everest, Eric Simonson of Ashford-based International Mountain Guides said Tuesday.
The communication limitations come as Nepal, not wanting to hurt relations with Beijing, tries to enforce a strict ban on protests during China’s upcoming Olympic torch relay to the summit of the world’s highest mountain. Dozens of armed Nepalese soldiers have been posted at Mount Everest’s base camp and at Camp 2, a lower stop for mountaineers.
Simonson says climbers are not allowed to climb any higher than Camp 2 at 21,000 feet until the torch climb is complete.
The Chinese climbers plan to have the Olympic torch on the summit in early May if weather permits.
Simonson says climbers on the Nepalese side will then have the rest of the month for their summit attempt.
“This has been a big deal,” Simonson said of the Olympic-related climbing restrictions. “We have definitely been impeded. Normally we would be pushing to Camp 3 by now.”
Simonson says the communication blackout on Everest is primarily related to e-mail communication. He says he has been able to communicate with his guides daily by satellite phone.
“I think the primary concern is that they don’t want people e-mail pictures of climbers holding ‘Free Tibet’ banners,” Simonson said.
However, the Associated Press reports soldiers and officials have also banned the use of satellite phones and radios on the mountain, and have forbidden photography at higher elevations, according to the BBC and trekking company employees in Katmandu. The trekking company employees spoke on condition of anonymity because they didn’t want to alienate government officials.
Climbers are allowed occasional use of e-mail, but only under the supervision of authorities, the employees said. Government officials declined to comment on communications restrictions.
On Tuesday, the Nepalese government acknowledged it deported Virginia mountaineer William Brant Holland after he was caught at base camp with a “Free Tibet” banner. He also has been banned from all mountaineering activities in Nepal for the next two years.
The government has also ordered a BBC news crew from the Everest base camp, the broadcaster reported.
Simonson says he expects his climbers will still have a good chance of summiting this year.
The relay, expected to start soon, will take place on the Chinese side of the mountain. But Nepal¹s government, under pressure from Beijing, has posted soldiers on its side and banned climbing near the summit from May 1-10.
Police and soldiers have been ordered to stop protests on the mountain using whatever means necessary, including weapons, although the use of deadly force is authorized only as a last resort.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)