KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 20

The Department of Tourism today issued copies of summit certificates to the Australian female climber for scaling Mt Everest and Mt Lhotse in 2023.

Rochelle Gilmore, 42, received the copies of her summit certificates, which had been seized by celebrated mountaineer Nirmal 'Nims' Purja for over a year, the DoT officials confirmed.

'The DoT provided copies of the certificates to Rochelle and also authenticated her Everest and Lhotse summits, keeping her name in the climbing record book,' Chief of the DoT's Mountaineering Section Rakesh Gurung told THT.

Elite Exped and Sherpa Extremes Pvt Ltd, owned by Purja, confiscated her certificates immediately after she completed her expeditions in the spring season of 2023. 'It's been a long fight, and I am very happy to get the copies of summit certificates today,' she told officials after receiving the papers at the DoT.

In a request letter to the DoT, the athlete mentioned that although she had paid Elite Exped (Nims Purja) in full, Nims had not provided her with the summit certificates as specified in his company's contract.

Rochelle also provided transaction details showing that she paid Purja US$ 300,000 for Mt Everest and US$ 100,000 for Mt Lhotse.

According to the DoT records, Rochelle summitted Everest on May 23 and reached the summit of Mt Lhotse on May 25, guided by an IFMGA Guide.

Rochelle arrived in Kathmandu a few days ago after Purja repeatedly refused to provide her summit certificates.

After receiving a written request from Rochelle, Nepali Congress lawmaker Rajendra Bajgain helped her obtain copies of the certificates.

'I wholeheartedly offered my support to Rochelle after learning that she had been duped by Nims Purja for so long,' Bajgain told THT.

A social media post by Purja mentioned that Rochelle had complex medical conditions, which made it difficult for her to acclimatise at high altitudes. People doubted she could achieve it due to conditions such as allergic asthma, hypogammaglobulinemia, cholinergic urticaria, hypertension, Haglund's syndrome, and various allergies-including reactions to certain medications.

Earlier, a THT investigation revealed that Purja chartered a helicopter flight for Rochelle to take her to Camp II on May 21 and airlifted her from the same location on May 26 after she summitted Everest and Lhotse in 2023.

During her meeting with DoT officials, Rochelle claimed she crossed the icefall section several times to complete her expeditions on Everest and Lhotse. Rochelle declined to speak to the media, citing an ongoing case against Purja and his company in a UK court.

Purja, who is currently in Tibet for the Shishapangma expedition, had also tried his best to prevent Rochelle from obtaining her certificates from the DoT. 'But, all his attempts were foiled this time,' said Bajgain.

According to DoT officials, Purja has also been asked to immediately provide the original papers to Rochelle.

Earlier, Purja made headlines for various alleged wrongdoings in the mountaineering industry. These include conducting illegal training for Elite Exped climbers above Everest base camp, commandeering an unauthorized helicopter flight to Camp II, circulating a misleading video about rope slicing above the South Summit, allegations of sexual assault against his female clients, and evading mountaineering royalty fees by using a non-resident Nepali card and dual passports, among others.

Purja could not be reached for comment.