Remember William Brant Holland? He was the American climber who got booted from Everest this year for carrying a "Free Tibet" t-shirt (or banner depending on the story) with him, despite the fact that the Nepali government made it clear that such actions would not be tolerated.
Well, it seems the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Civil Aviation has elected to hand out a two year ban on Holland climbing in Nepal, which is home to some of the highest peaks in the world, including 8 of the 14 8000m mountains. According to this article at ThePeninsulaQatar.com Nepal wanted to insure that Holland, nor anyone else for that matter, would use their country to launch anti-Chinese rhetoric in the wake of China closing off Tibet and shutting down Everest's North Side.
Holland wasn't the only one to get a ban however, as Slovakian climber Josef Kubica as well. Kubica was caught attempting to climb without a permit when he was making his way towards Everest. This marks the first time in history that any climbers have received such a ban.
Quite frankly, I was expecting the ban to be longer. It'll probably take Holland two years to save up the cash to return to Nepal anyway, and with the Maoists in charge, I suspected that his little demonstration may have put him into more trouble. Depending on the political climate in the region over the next few years however, he may not find it a very hospitable place should he choose to return.
Thanks to The Adventurist for this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment