What is Sniper’s Role at Mount Everest?

Wired reports that climbers on Mount Everest’s south side are surreptitiously blogging a standoff with Nepalese soldiers ahead of China’s Olympic torch run on the opposite side of the mountain next week. More incredibly, the magazine reports, one blogger “saw lots of military staff and one solider carrying a very sophisticated sniper type of gun.”

What exactly, one must ask, is the role of a soldier with a sniper gun? My guess, erring on the naive side, is that he’s a member of the Chinese biathlon team simply hoping to partake in some high-altitude practice shooting prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

What do you think the role of the sniper is? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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For more information, read the reports below from MountEverest.net:

Everest and Himalaya wrap-up: Sniper in Everest south side camp 2 — 12:46 pm EDT Apr 29, 2008 (MountEverest.net) “There is a small police post at 6400m (ed: camp 2) on Everest and the one armed soldier does the rounds each day, with conspicuous sniper rifle, however they mostly give a friendly Namaste,” is the latest report to ExWeb from Everest south side.

Everest and Himalaya wrap-up: BBC reporter kicked out from Nepal EBC; torch for Chinese eyes only; Himalaya summit bids before the storm — 10:11 am EDT Apr 28, 2008 (MountEverest.net) Climbers on Everest´s south side may be better aware of the torch’s whereabouts than the journalists on the north side; by the orders they expect to get any day now that the entire Nepali side is to be closed.

Chinese security guards and plain clothes police in Everest south side BC — 08:52 pm EDT Apr 24, 2008 (MountEverest.net) In a report from Khumjung village, the unofficial capital of the Sherpa kingdom, a Himalayan climber said today that he found Sherpas home, instead of normally off on expedition, usually climbing the north side of Everest. “The Chinese closure of Everest has left many sherpas out of work, meaning that this year they will be without their income,” wrote the mountaineer.

-- Bob McCarty Writes