KATHMANDU, AUGUST 21
A British adventurer illegally skied off Mera Peak in the Mt Everest region in the last spring season, officials have confirmed.
Joshua Bregmen, 34, who reportedly completed the world's highest altitude ski-BASE jump from Mera Peak on 11 April 2024, had neither obtained a ski permit from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation nor a climbing permit from Nepal Mountaineering Association, officials told THT.
According to the Guinness World Records, Joshua set the world record by skiing off from 5,716m on Mera Peak and parachuting to the ground. "Joshua's feat surpassed the previous record of 4,359m, held by Matthias Giraud from France since 2019," the GWR said. Ski-BASE jump is a high-altitude sport that merges skiing with base jumping.
Joshua conducted the ski-BASE jump without obtaining permits from the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Nepal Mountaineering Association, according to the officials. "Joshua's attempt for ski-BASE jump is illegal," said DoT's director Rakesh Gurung, adding, "The British adventurer had not applied for a ski permit for the record-breaking stunt in the last spring season."
Not only a ski permit from the DoT, NMA's chief administrative officer Jinesh Sindurakar confirmed that Joshua also illegally hiked above the base camp on Mera Peak as NMA hadn't issued a climbing permit for his expedition in the last spring season.
Skiing as well as paragliding has been restricted in the Nepal's Himalayas without obtaining necessary permits from the authorities concerned, according to Gurung. "For conducting ski on Mera Peak, NMA shall issue a climbing permit and the DoT issues ski-BASE jump permit by assigning a liaison officer for ground monitoring," he added.
Joshua told GWR that his team spent over two weeks preparing for the attempt, which included hiking to the jump spot, clearing the course of debris and of course camping at extreme altitude.
"It was a self-funded mission with no sponsors, burrowed equipment and secondhand skis," the GWR quoted Joshua as saying, "The mission aimed at raising awareness about human trafficking in Nepal and raising funds for charity."
DoT's director Gurung said that no one could conduct illegal activities in the Himalayas. "Skiing and climbing Mera Peak without taking authorities' permission violate country's tourism and mountaineering regulations," he said, adding that the DoT would thoroughly investigate Joshua's case and take legal action against him if found guilty. Joshua couldn't be contacted for comment.
