The ugly scenes at Camp Two on Saturday have hit morale among climbers preparing for their Everest ascent. Photo: Sotti CC-BY-SA-3.0

The rumblings over the rancour and violence at the base of Everest continued today as a climber gave an alternative view of the bust-up between Sherpas and three European climbers.

American mountaineer Alan Arnette said the Sherpas’ view had not been represented in reports of the alarming incident in which a group of Nepalese fixing ropes for clients ended up brawling with British climber Jon Griffith, Swiss Ueli Steck and Italian Simone Moro.

Arnette said the spark that ignited the fire was an intervention by a fourth European climber at Camp Two while the two sides were exchanging heated words.

The fourth climber carelessly approached and ‘entangled physically’ with a Sherpa. The Nepalese, thinking their colleagues were being attacked, then began the brawl, which only ended with the intervention of other western climbers and Sherpas, according to Arnette.

The seeds of the discord were sown on Saturday. Arnette said it had been agreed at a prior meeting at Base Camp that no climbers would attempt to ascend the Lhotse Face to Camp Three on that day as the teams of Sherpas would be fixing ropes for all the climbers, needing concentration on a technical exercise.

Simone Moro was not at the meeting and may have been unaware of the unwritten rule that the Sherpas be left to get on with their job unhindered by other climbers.

Arnette said other western climbers told Moro, Steck and Griffith they should not climb on Saturday, but the trio set out anyway.

Up on the Lhotse Face on the route between Camp Two and Camp Three, things became very heated despite the dropping temperatures with, according to the American mountaineer, abuse being hurled between the two parties.

This continued after the Sherpas descended, with Moro continuing the argument over the radio frequencies.

This led to the gathering of Sherpas at Camp Two and the violence that has been reported ensued.

The remarkable events have, however, cast a pall over what should have been a celebratory climbing season on the South of Everest as teams prepare to mark the 60th anniversary of Tenzing Norgay’s and Sir Edmund Hillary’s successful first ascent.

An official flew out to Base Camp to mediate and handshakes were exchanged.

Steck and Griffith have left Base Camp and flown back to Lukla and opinions are divided over the rights and wrongs, with guides and climbers taking opposing views of Saturday’s events.

Tim Ripple of Peak Freaks posted on their website: “What has gone on up on the mountain yesterday has lowered moral [sic] here at EBC.

“Mountains have no place for egos; you see it time and time again, eventually a price is paid.”