Sponsors Drop Nirmal Purja After Sexual Harassment Report
Osprey was the first brand to remove him from their team, as several high profile climbers have expressed support for the victims
On May 31, The New York Times ran an article written by Anna Callaghan and Jenny Vrentas titled ‘For Women Climbers, Dangers Go Beyond Avalanches and Storms’, with a subtitle that reads, “Women are increasingly reporting sexual harassment and abuse in the sport, including accusations against the renowned climber Nirmal Purja.”
The article goes on to quote former Miss Finland Lotta Hintsa and Dr. April Leonardo, who, as the article notes, “described experiences in recent years in which he [Purja] kissed them without consent, made aggressive advances or touched them sexually against their wishes. They said they felt powerless and wary of angering Mr. Purja.”
Purja was the focus of the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks, in which he climbed the world’s 14 8,000-metre peaks in record time, a record that’s since been broken. While Netflix has yet to remove the documentary from their platform, several of Purja’s sponsors were quick to drop him from their teams.
Osprey Packs, a backpacking company based in the USA, terminated its collaboration with Purja immediately, issuing a statement shortly after The New York Times article was published. And Grivel, a 126-year-old climbing hardware company based in Italy, removed all of their Purja-branded gear from their website. However, as of June 7, Purja still had profile pages on other sponsors’ websites, including Red Bull. On June 5, Red Bull told Outside, “It is a matter for the public authorities to determine the facts concerning allegations against any person who has been accused.”
Nepali congress lawmaker Rajendra Bajgain, a member of the house of representatives, has urged the government to ban Purja from entering Nepal, saying that Purja has tarnished Nepal’s image. And AW Expeditions said, “Unfortunately, we can state with confidence, based on many informal conversations, that this high-profile case is but the tip of the iceberg of a systemic issue in mountaineering.”
Several high profile climbers have also spoken about the story, with Melissa Arnot, the first American woman up Everest without supplementary oxygen, saying, “I was often expected to tell the joke or be the joke. Flirt back or be excluded. Go along with it and don’t cause problems. I was called the total ‘package’ by a supervisor as he explained to clients why it was OK to rope up with a young, small girl. And I smiled and played my part. I regret so much of it now, but at the time it felt like the only way to survive a place I really wanted to be.”
American Adrian Ballinger, who regularly guides in the Himalaya, sayid, “I’m choosing to share this article because I believe we need to empower victims to speak out through our support. I’m deep enough in this world to have a pretty good sense of where the truth lies.” And famed mountain runner Kilian Jornet said, “We must foster a culture of respect and safety in mountaineering, ensuring everyone can pursue their passion without fear.”
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