Dru Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 Anybody know these guys? U.S. Climbers in Nepal Claim Attack American Climbers in Nepal Say They Were Shot at by Apparent Chinese Soldiers The Associated Press KATMANDU, Nepal Sept. 30 — Two American mountain climbers say they came under fire from men who appeared to be Chinese soldiers during a hike in Nepal near the border. Jeff Lamoureux, 36, and David Morton, 31, both from Seattle, Wash., said in an interview Monday in Katmandu that two men shot at them on Sept. 20 while they were looking for a new route to climb 23,984-foot Mount Nagpai Gosum. They were more than seven miles inside Nepalese territory at the time, they said. "We could not believe we were being shot at. There were at least five shots fired at us," Lamoureux said. Lamoureux said at least one gunman was wearing a Chinese army uniform. The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing said it had no information on the case but would investigate. No similar incidents have been reported in the past and the motive remained unclear. The climbers said they were walking a trail used by traders and refugees to sneak in and out of Tibet when they met a Chinese man who seemed nervous. "He motioned us to give food and we gave him something to eat and drink. He unzipped his jacket to show us his army uniform and he was carrying an automatic rifle," Morton said. After the man left, they saw another man not far behind, hiding behind rocks and decided that they should return to a nearby village. There they met the same Chinese man, who used motions and broken English to thank them for the food. The Americans left the village, heading toward the base camp, when they realized they were being shot at by two men, including the Chinese man they had helped. "We probably ran and hid behind the boulders for four hours before we reached our base camp," Morton said. "We waited until it was 7:30 p.m. and then headed directly to the nearest village." The altitude made it difficult to run, Lamoureux said. "I could taste blood in the back of my throat while I was running," he said, describing a condition that occurs at high altitudes, where there is less oxygen. After three days, they reached Namche, a town at the foot of Mount Everest, notified police and went back with a police escort to collect their gear, backpacks and money they left behind when they fled. Morton said when they returned with the police, a group of Tibetan refugees and Yak traders confirmed the presence of Chinese soldiers and said they had heard the shooting. Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 I'd be pissed off too if I couldn't use Google any longer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted September 30, 2002 Author Share Posted September 30, 2002 A buddy of mine is in Burma right now and you can't even use Hotmail there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg_W Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Dru: A buddy of mine is in Burma right now and you can't even use Hotmail there.... Oh, the humanity!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Greg W: quote:Originally posted by Dru: A buddy of mine is in Burma right now and you can't even use Hotmail there.... Oh, the humanity!!!! Such senseless acts cripple the porn and spam industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted September 30, 2002 Author Share Posted September 30, 2002 Yeah think of all the oppressed Burmese unable to get spam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 think how much they pay for inkjet printer supplies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rr666 Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 quote: Originally posted by iain: think how much they pay for inkjet printer supplies! I am sure it is much less than we do. Isn't China where all the imitation stuff comes from? I hate getting ripped off by HP, having to buy ink cartridges that cost more than the printer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russki82 Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 yep...these things WILL happen when climbers venture into areas of political instability...we all remember the Kyrgyz story of course; I've heard of people in the Caucasus simply being robbed at gunpoint and having to come back from basecamp in nothing but socks. What is unfortunate is when these climbers, with by own stupidity and naiveness, put others lives' on the line and then are portrayed in the American media as big shot heros...case in point is once again the Kyrgyz story. How many people know that 35 soldiers lost their lives saving their ass? No one would, were it not for John Bouchard (God bless him...) who wrote that article about the story in Kyrgyzsan that WAS NOT published in "outdoor" magazine... not immediately putting claim on these WA guys, just making a general statement - our responsibility for ourselves in the mountains INCLUDES not getting yourself taken hostage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b-rock Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 It's my responsibility to make sure I don't get taken hostage? Hmmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 Those Chinese better not shoot at any more climbers or we'll have to drop some lazer guided horsecock on their ass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russki82 Posted September 30, 2002 Share Posted September 30, 2002 quote: Originally posted by b-rock: It's my responsibility to make sure I don't get taken hostage? Hmmmm. yes, as in, perhaps you should consider planning your climbing trip in Alaska, NOT in Chechnya... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodchester Posted October 1, 2002 Share Posted October 1, 2002 quote: quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by b-rock: It's my responsibility to make sure I don't get taken hostage? Hmmmm. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- yes, as in, perhaps you should consider planning your climbing trip in Alaska, NOT in Chechnya... They were in Nepal....not Chechnya. Are you trying to say nepal and China have an ongoing border dispute or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne Posted October 1, 2002 Share Posted October 1, 2002 Back in 2000,I had an interesting run in with the Chinese military. We had all the neccessary visas and permits to get to the peak but , how were we to know they would be flooding the border in case something happened in Pakistan/India clash of the week.They were moving some serious artillery and tanks and more troups than you could believe. We were told NOT to take pictures , but there was this dumb bunny with us that kept taking them. Then we were told to leave or we will be shot. We protested and held our ground till it became night and they had to put us up for the night. They next day after we kicked theier ass again at basket ball they sent us back just shy of gunpoint. I didnt want to push it but we paid them over 100k$ !! They let us back in4 days later and we kicked thier ass again at bball! I wouldnt mess with the Chinese mil, they have a cold streak. The games were played at 12k', and we werent yet acclimatised. : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russki82 Posted October 1, 2002 Share Posted October 1, 2002 Rod...Christ, do you think I'm a COMPLETE idiot?? I realize it was in Nepal and not Chechnya, I can read...I used Chechnya as an example, I can say Afghanistan if you like. Like I said, I was making a GENERAL STATEMENT, not neccesarily about these particular guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexual_chocolate Posted October 1, 2002 Share Posted October 1, 2002 quote: Originally posted by russki82: [QB]Christ, do you think I'm a COMPLETE idiot??[QB] Yes, dammit. No one deserves to be shot at, sicko. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexual_chocolate Posted October 1, 2002 Share Posted October 1, 2002 quote: Originally posted by russki82: [QB]Christ, do you think I'm a COMPLETE idiot??[QB] Yes, dammit. No one deserves to be shot at, sicko. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brukb Posted October 1, 2002 Share Posted October 1, 2002 I have met Jeff Lamoreaux (one of the two climbers in the story) a few times through a mutual friend. He was with us on an attempt on Liberty Ridge this year. He's a good guy and has done routes that would humble the vast majority of us here. While I agree, to a point, with some of the comments made regarding the Kyrgyz incident, I do not think they are relevant to this thread. Besides, have you ever climbed in a foreign country (not Canada)? Most of the climbing is areas of "political unrest". I spent a year in South America and there were the same kind of issues in 5 out of the 7 countries I visited, and I was still safer there than I would be walking in downtown Seattle at night. Kidnapping Americans is not a normal part of the economy in Nepal or China as it is in some countries of the world. Jeff and Dave were not anywhere that they should not have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Self_propelled Posted October 2, 2002 Share Posted October 2, 2002 Jeff and Dave were not anywhere they weren't supposed to be. They were on the Nepal side of the border very close to Cho Oyu. The Chinese Army was on the wrong side of the border and they knew it. Jeff and Dave did happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their base camp was close to an ancient trading route and a modern escape route for Tibetans. Tibetan refugees were crossing the border that day before the incident occurred and apparently had a run in with the Chinese. Apparently, the Chinese don't like it when their subjects try to leave without asking permission. The real bummer of the whole thing is that they didn't get to attempt the climb they set out for. They had to break camp pretty quickly lost some very expensive gear, probably to the chinese, and have had to return to Kathamndu when they could have been making a second or possibly first ascent on a 7300 M peak. They didn't ask to be SHOT AT, they didn't ask the AP to send their story around the world, and they deserve a lot of credit for not making more of an issue with the US and Chinese government. They just wanted to climb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr._Chips Posted October 2, 2002 Share Posted October 2, 2002 sounds like a sensitive area to be in for starters. with all the maoist activity right now in nepal coupled with the tensions at that border location, it would seem to be a red flag for possible trouble. americans, or north americans for that matter, cannot continue to believe that they can still go anywhere they want on this planet right now. it still sucks though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted October 2, 2002 Share Posted October 2, 2002 It's what I would expect if I went in there. I bet they have great human rights in those countries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysticNacho Posted October 2, 2002 Share Posted October 2, 2002 I just arrived here in Kathmandu a couple of days ago. Just a couple of random soldiers demanding food on the Nepalese side? Not that I am any expert, but that sounds a little hokey. Maybe defectors or Maoists in chinese uniforms. Doesn't really matter WHO the angry person with a gun is, I suppose. Got to be careful 'round this part of the world! Oh yeah, and you think the traffic in Seattle is bad? There are no rules for traffic here, anything goes! Run for your lives! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted October 2, 2002 Share Posted October 2, 2002 Welcome to the 3rd world. It's like that all over the world. Dontcha watch National Geographic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted October 2, 2002 Share Posted October 2, 2002 quote: Originally posted by russki82: quote:Originally posted by b-rock: It's my responsibility to make sure I don't get taken hostage? Hmmmm. yes, as in, perhaps you should consider planning your climbing trip in Alaska, NOT in Chechnya... I couldn't agree more. We're responsible for our own asses - here and abroad. Climbers traveling to foreign locales must be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. [ 10-02-2002, 08:41 AM: Message edited by: trask ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeclimb9 Posted October 2, 2002 Share Posted October 2, 2002 brukb wrote: 'Besides, have you ever climbed in a foreign country (not Canada)? Most of the climbing is areas of "political unrest".' I call BS on this blanket statement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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