Everest: The Summit of Corruption

Once a sacred challenge for only the most seasoned alpinists, Mount Everest has in recent years become a commercial circus — a deadly parade of privilege, ego, and profit. Permits are sold in excess, queues form near the summit, and year after year, lives are lost not to the mountain, but to mismanagement and greed.

Ryan's tent set up high in the upper regions of the Himalayas looking down on the Khumba Ice falls where research could easily be gathered

In 2017, filmmaker and climber Ryan Davy made global headlines after attempting to summit Everest without a permit — an illegal act, but one driven not by ego, but by a deep conviction. Ryan’s goal was to expose the growing exploitation of the mountain and find safer, more ethical methods of high-altitude expedition. His arrest sparked international debate, but it also brought attention to the uncomfortable truths behind the world's most famous peak.

Ryan climbing a mountain adjustment to Mount Everest for the purpose of acclimatisation

Through his lens, Ryan sought to restore dignity to Everest — to honor the mountain, respect the lives it claims, and advocate for reform in a system where money often trumps human life.

The man who stole Everest - Feature Documentary

This is not just a story of a forbidden climb — it's a story of conscience on the roof of the world.

When filmmaker Ryan Davy set out to climb Mount Everest without a permit, he wasn’t chasing glory — he was exposing a truth.

Behind the world’s most iconic summit lies a mountain of corruption: overcrowding, inflated permits, and a deadly business masked as adventure. Arrested and condemned by officials, Davy’s illegal ascent became a silent protest — one man against a system that has turned the roof of the world into a profit machine.

This is not a story of theft.It’s a story of reclaiming dignity on a mountain that’s lost its soul.

Ryan in the Khumba Ice falls on route to the summit