Man arrested attempting to climb Everest without permit

A South African national, Ryan Sean Davy, 43, has been under arrest in Nepal while allegedly trying to scale Mt. Everest without a permit. He had climbed more than 20,000 feet before being stopped by authorities. Gyanendra Shresth, a government liaison officer at Everest's Base Camp, said, "I saw him alone near base camp, so I approached him, and he ran away. Nepal's Department of Tourism charges foreign travelers £8,500 for a permit to climb Everest. He now faces a fine of up to £17,000 for attempting to avoid the payment.

In a Face book post, Davy said: "This news is probably going to make a lot of people upset with me and I really hope you'll all forgive me. " When I arrived at Base Camp, it became evident that I didn't have nearly enough money for a solo permit because of hidden costs and even if I did, they would have declined it because I had no previous mountaineering experience on record. " I was ashamed that I couldn't afford the permit After all the help, preparation and what everybody had done for me during my training, it would have been a total embarrassment to turn around and accept defeat because of a piece of paper.

"So I took a chance and spent the little money I had on more gear to climb and practice on the surrounding peaks for acclimatizing in preparation for a stealth entry onto Everest." Davy's passport has been seized, and he is currently understood to be en route to Kathmandu. 

Source: Nepal Ministry of Culture, Civil Aviation and Tourism / BBC New