Fisticuffs At 18,000 Feet Lead To Ban

Scottish climber and longstanding Everest expedition organiser Heny Todd has been banned from entering Nepal until Spring 2002 after an alleged bout of fisticuffs with another climber.

Todd apparently assaulted Finn Olaf Jones, an American journalist who was part of Todd's expedition on Everest this Spring after he discovered that Jones had been sending reports to the Discovery TV channel describing Todd as 'an Everest caterer' who 'had never even been to the summit'.

Apparently he pursued Jones and shook him violently leading him to take refuge with another expedition for two days before being flown out of base camp by helicopter. The ban was imposed by the Nepalese Minsistry of Tourism after Jones filed a complaint against Todd and took into account previous written warnings which had been issued to the Scot.

More detailed information at nepalnews.com and in the Independent newspaper.