Nimsdai

A few words on the allegations and the implications.

I’ve been overseas on a film shoot whilst the Nimsdai saga has been unravelling, but I’ve wanted to put something on paper since it kicked off.

If you haven’t heard, Nirmal Purja of 14 Peaks fame has been accused of sexual assault in an article written by The New York Times.

Over the years I’ve heard a lot of anecdotes about the man, and whilst I don’t know him at all, I’m not surprised something has come to light. Although, perhaps naively, I didn’t think it would be this extreme. The accusations sound entirely credible, and the commentary from knowledgeable sources online does nothing but reinforce the notion that he did do these things. I’ve heard all sorts of other stories over the years that relate more to his character and claims, but that’s not necessarily relevant right now.

What is relevant is that a man who was largely lauded as a hero by the wider adventure community (and the world) is probably guilty of sexual assault and is a serial misogynist. This is obviously abhorrent, and it goes without saying that it is bigger than internet uproar and should end up in court.

But internet uproar is useful. We have an opportunity as a community to take this moment to really stand up and say no more. I saw someone suggest that this is our ‘me too’ moment, and whilst I think that we shouldn’t need a ‘me too’ moment, they may well be right. I regularly see comments online about the outdoor and adventure communities ‘going woke’. You can guess who is writing these comments, and seeing the vast quantity of them is scary. We have a long way to go.

We need to create a future in the adventure community where anyone and everyone feels like they have ‘permission’ to be outdoors and enjoying wild spaces. But we also need to inspire people of all varieties to get outside.

Nims’ achievements went viral and became household news because of how amazing they were. But what was extra special about it all was that he wasn’t just another white man. He was an inspiration because he was breaking the chain. He represented a changing of the guard. But because of his appalling actions he’s completely and totally broken the spell. The conclusion of his fairy tale is he’s just another dangerous, toxic man. More dangerous than most. The message to the community is clear: men in positions of power cannot be fully trusted.

‘The higher you climb the farther you fall’ is a cliche, but it’s true. And ignoring the pun here, if he’s convicted (which I hope is inevitable) then we need to use this moment to say no more to this sort of behaviour. We have to build a world where we call it out when we see it, but perhaps more importantly we need to build a world where this kind of thing doesn’t happen because the men KNOW they won’t get away with it. Prevention is better than cure, and women aren’t going to begin properly trusting men until we fix this problem.

As I type this I can hear the ‘not all men’ brigade preparing their angry retorts. Of course it’s not all men. Nobody is saying that it is. But it is some men, and unfortunately there’s no way to differentiate between the good ones and the bad ones. The result? Often women are scared of men. Very often. And it seems like that’s wholly justified. So, men of the outdoor community, maybe ask yourself what you can do to make sure that 50% of the global population feel safe and secure in your company.

This is a big topic, and the comments on this post are open to all. I’m up for the debate if it’s kind and calm. The trolls will not be fed…