Two girls have gone on the report to accuse famed mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja, of great sexual misbehavior, in line with reporting by The New York Instances.
Whereas the story mentions a number of instances of ladies who’ve suffered from sexual abuse in outside sports activities, it presents Purja’s case in probably the most element by the testimonies of skilled climber and former Miss Finland, Lotta Hintsa, and American physician April Leonardo. Each describe “experiences lately during which he [Purja] kissed them with out consent, made aggressive advances, or touched them sexually in opposition to their needs,” reported The Instances.
Hintsa recounted an episode of sexual aggression throughout a supposed enterprise assembly on the Marriott in Kathmandu final 12 months. And April Leonardo, a shopper of Purja’s, allegedly suffered fixed sexual harassment throughout a K2 expedition in 2022.
“It’s not solely the rock fall or the avalanches which can be harmful for a feminine climber,” Finnish climber and mountaineer Lotta Hintsa advised The New York Instances.
Purja initially responded by his attorneys, denying all accusations as “false and defamatory.” Purja subsequently took to social media to formally deal with the accusations, which he referred to as “defamatory and false.”
This story was initially printed on ExplorersWeb.
Model Influence
The ladies declare they’ve spoken up in order that others don’t must undergo the experiences they are saying they endured.
The New York Instances story impacts not solely Purja personally but in addition his model. Purja owns a guiding firm, Elite Exped, and a clothes model. The “Nims” branding is on collections by Grivel and Nike. He’s one in all a really choose group of Pink Bull athletes, a member of the celebrated Order of the British Empire, and has an honorary doctorate from Loughborough College.
However lately, Nims and Elite Exped have been the main focus of various controversies on Everest. Within the final 2 weeks, a number of articles in native Nepali media accused the mountaineer of improper allowing, although Elite Exped substantiated there was no proof of wrongdoing.
And this week, Purja went on social media to assert that the ropes had been reduce on the higher slopes of Everest simply as he was about to steer a crew to the summit. Fellow outfitters denied the accusation, and an investigation is now ongoing.
Extra usually, the sexual misconduct allegations solid a highlight on all the high-altitude climbing group. As Hintsa stated, a base camp ought to be a secure level to return to from the summit, not an added danger.
