Key Takeaways:

• NMA and EOAN filed replies rejecting association with Everest Alliance Nepal's summit
• Allegations include misrepresentation, foreign fund solicitation, and illegal certificate distribution
• Everest Alliance Nepal denies wrongdoing, citing high-profile attendance

KATHMANDU, JULY 16 Nepal's two most prominent mountaineering bodies have formally rejected any association with the Everest Summiteers Summit held in May, with Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) filing a strong reply with the Department of Tourism that calls for investigation and action against its organiser, Everest Alliance Nepal, even as the company insists it followed all legal procedures. The dispute stems from a complaint filed at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority alleging that Everest Alliance Nepal, a private company, misrepresented itself as a national-level body, solicited funds from China, deposited money in foreign accounts, charged illegal fees from participants and distributed summit certificates without authorisation. Acting on the complaint, the DoT asked the Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Expedition Operators Association Nepal to study the matter and submit their positions. Both responded with unequivocal disowning of the event. The NMA, in a formal reply said that Everest Alliance Nepal had approached the NMA for two consecutive years seeking endorsement and requesting that its event be certified as a government-recognised national programme. The NMA's executive committee refused every time.'NMA has not participated in or granted official recognition to this event in any capacity,' the reply stated. The NMA further described the Everest Summiteers Summit as a complete duplicate of its own World Summiteers Summit, the sole authorised national summit event, jointly organised with the Ministry of Tourism, the Department of Tourism and Nepal Tourism Board. It flagged the duplication of the official programme's name as a violation of intellectual property rights, called the distribution of summit certificates by a private entity illegal, stating that summit certificates for Everest and other peaks can only be issued after verification by the Department of Tourism. It also said depositing funds solicited in the name of a government programme into private accounts would constitute financial irregularity. The NMA copied its reply to the Ministry of Tourism, NTB and international mountaineering bodies including the UIAA, UAAA and IMTA. EOAN was equally direct, stating that Everest Alliance Nepal's activities and that the company is not a member of EOAN. The association noted that its mandate covers only trekking agency businesses and Himalayan climbing operations conducted by registered members and requested the DoT to share details of the entity's registered activities. Everest Alliance Nepal Chairman Sudarshan Nepal, however, denied any wrongdoing. He said that EAN was fully unaware of recent developments. 'We have neither received any letters from the CIAA nor the DoT regarding the Everest Summiteers Summit,' Nepal said, adding that the event was successfully conducted with the gracious presence of the President of Nepal, the Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, as well as high dignitaries from the government and mountaineering fraternity. 'EAN follows all legal procedures to host the summit, which promotes Nepal's adventure tourism in the world market,' Nepal said. The summit was held on May 27 at the Soaltee Hotel in Kathmandu, with President Ram Chandra Paudel, Minister Khadak Raj Poudel and senior figures from the mountaineering fraternity in attendance. Numerous record-holding climbers were honoured at the event. With the matter now before both the CIAA and the DoT, a regulatory decision is expected in the coming weeks.