Revealed: The female American climber, 29, who heroically broke up vicious fight between 'more than 100 Sherpas and three hikers with calm talk and hand holding'

Melissa Arnot, 29, is credited as the hero mountain guide who negotiated three hikers to safety as fight broke out on world's highest mountain



Hikers from Great Britain, Switzerland and Italy say they were stoned and punched amid death threats from more than 100 Nepalese Sherpas

Sherpas accused hikers of improper hiking etiquette on Mt Everest

Investigation now underway by the Nepalese authorities

As more than 100 enraged Sherpas allegedly threw stones and death threats at three foreign hikers atop the world's tallest mountain it was a petite American woman who's credited for breaking up the fight through discussion and hand holding alone.

Melissa Arnot, a professional mountain guide from Idaho holding the women's world record for number of Mt Everest summits, has revealed passive discussion as preventing the dramatic violence from turning deadly.



'I wasn't trying to be heroic,' Mrs Arnot, 29, recounted to ABC News of her selfless effort after stepping between the scores of angry men on Saturday . 'But I do think my presence prevented some violence.'



Hero: Melissa Arnot, a professional mountain guide holding the women's world record for number of Mt Everest summits, is the American woman credited for breaking up a violent fight on top of the world's highest mountain



Peace maker: Arnot is said to have jumped between the escalating fight of three foreign hikers and nearly 100 angry Sherpas accusing them of improper hiking etiquette

Mrs Arnot had worked on the mountain for the past six years when the fight broke out between the climbers from Italy, Switzerland and Great Britain and the Nepalese Sherpas at approximately 23,000ft up the 29,000ft mountain.



Mrs Arnot frantically positioned herself between both sides of the fight, having known some of the angry Sherpa guides herself, and even went so far as 'holding the hands of another Sherpa,' hoping to calm them down, she said.

'I felt like it was much less likely that they would hit me actually or hit me with a rock just being a woman,' she said.



The Sherpas accused the foreign hikers of kicking ice down on them and breaking mountain etiquette by stepping over their ropes, leading to the violence confrontation.



‘We all suffered cuts and bruises and Ueli took a stone to his face,' British climber and photographer Jonathan Griffith, 29, recounted of the injuries particularly sustained by fellow hiker Ueli Steck, 36, from Switzerland.

Targets: Ueli Steck, left, Jonathan Griffith (centre) and Simone Moro say they were attacked by a 'mob' of sherpas 'Brawl': British Alpine photographer Jonathan Griffith (right) was accompanying Swiss climber Ueli Steck (left) and Italian Simone Moro to document their Everest ascent 'Fierce': The row erupted as the British photographer and his two fellow climbers made their way from Camp 2 to a tent higher up the mountain on Saturday

READ MELISSA ARNOT'S FULL STATEMENT HERE:

'I cannot recount the events of this past week on Everest, nor do I want to. I understand that people want to hear the story and know the details, but, honestly, the details are sad and they are in the past. They cannot be changed. Everyone will have their version of what happened and why it happened. I, too, have my own version.

'I came here to climb Mt. Everest. I came here for the challenge, adventure and type of friendship that has become a mark of this place for me. On this expedition, I have had some of the best times of my life, laughing into the late hours with friends who were supporting each other’s goals. I have had some of the worst times — standing in front of those same friends to protect them from unexplainable violence and anger. Something shifted the balance for a moment. My only hope is that it shifts back quickly, and everyone can resume their jobs, their passion and their goal of climbing.

'I am resting now, both my body and my mind, in hopes that I can resume the reason I came here. I am thankful for the good moments that have occurred this year. I am sad for the events of the last week. I am hopeful that the adventure ahead will be one of collaboration, support and rebuilding the relationship of trust between everyone who has chosen to be here.'

'The Sherpas were upset with the foreign climbers for trying to continue to climb' while the Sherpas worked on fixing safety ropes, Mrs Arnot said. 'Instead of conversation, the idea of violence was resorted to, and I think that is where the tragedy of this whole event comes down to.'



Mrs Arnot, who has climbed to Mt Everest's summit four times, negotiated with the three climbers and Sherpas for nearly 45 minutes while admitting to her part in 'talking them off the edge of all this anger.'



Before both parties separated they signed a contract agreeing to never resort to violence on the mountain again.



Perhaps arguing that agreement, in a statement on his website Simone Moro of Italy claims that his group was told 'if they weren't gone in one hour that they would all be killed.'



'We were told one of us would die that night and the rest would follow later.’ Mr Griffith also said.



'I think the foreign climbers made the mistakes and the Sherpas made some mistakes in communications,' Mrs Arnot acknowledged, 'but at the end of the day violence is completely unacceptable in any scenario, especially when you are very high on a mountain.'



Responding to the horrific event on her website on Tuesday, Mrs Arnot writes that she will not recount in detail what happened on Mt Everest but that she is 'sad for the events of the last week.'



'Something shifted the balance for a moment. My only hope is that it shifts back quickly, and everyone can resume their jobs, their passion and their goal of climbing,' she writes.

Negotiations: Ms Arnot negotiated with the three climbers and the Sherpas for nearly 45 minutes before the three men were allowed to escape down the mountain

Awakened: Ms Arnot has worked on the mountain for the last six years and hopes that the recent tensions will settle to how they were with both sides remembering and respecting what it is they ultimately come to the mountain for

Immediately after the attack Griffith singled out the bravery of Mrs Arnot, whom he said stood guard over another tent while the three climbers managed to get to some 50 yards away.



‘For a Sherpa to hit a woman is really bad and Melissa saved our lives,’ he said.

Experienced: Swiss mountaineer Ueli Steck is understood to have scaled many of the world's most treacherous peaks

The three men ended up running for their lives down a treacherous glacier to escape the ‘out-of-control mob’ and have now been forced to abandon their attempt on the summit.

The hike was Mr Griffith's first attempted ascent of Everest when during their return to camp they were immediately set upon.

‘It was very scary. As climbers we all get into very dangerous situations but this was the first time I really thought this was the end,' he said.



He said they had initially ignored advice by other Western climbers to ‘just run now’ as the mob headed for their tent.

‘We thought we could discuss the situation and sort it out,’ he said.

‘Sherpas are not angry people but they are easily rallied and three or four ringleaders were to blame.’

He said the crowd attacked in small groups, moving in and throwing rocks before retreating.

‘We couldn’t lash back because the mob would have gone for us then. We honestly felt we were going to die.’

Mr Griffith additionally credited other Western climbers who acted as a buffer and put themselves in front of the three men.

As tempers began to calm slightly it became clear the men would have to escape and retreat to base camp immediately.

Simone Moro: The Italian climber, who has climbed Everest four times, is understood to have been attempting to reach the summit by a new route without supplementary oxygen

'Mass attack': A statement released by the climbers said they believed the incident was an uprising against the way Nepalis feel treated by westerners on Everest (file photo)

They packed up what equipment they could and, to avoid further attacks from the Sherpas, set off on an ‘unbelievably treacherous route’ across a glacier, going as fast as possible without even using a rope for safety.

The men did what is usually a full day’s walk in two-and-a-half hours.

Mr Griffith said last night from base camp that he was preparing to return to Chamonix in France, where he lives.

Although climbing Everest was once the ultimate human challenge, these days hundreds of people pay tens of thousands of pounds to make the ascent every year. The small army of Sherpas are used to help them and carry supplies.

'Terrifying': British mountaineering photographer Jonathan Griffith is reported to have been accompanying Steck and Moro on the ascent

It is the ‘clash of cultures’ and ‘ill feeling’ towards the foreigners that is being blamed for the unprecedented attack.

Foreign climbers pay royalties to scale Everest and Nepalese government officials were quick to play down the seriousness of the incident for fear of losing vital income.

Tourism ministry official Dipendra Paudel said there had been a ‘slight misunderstanding’ which had been sorted out and pledged to ensure the safety of climbers.

An investigation is now underway by the Nepalese authorities.

'At the moment the 3 ring leaders have been taken off the mountain and the Police, Ministry of Tourism and the head of the Sherpa Association are investigating,' Mr Moro's team reports on their website.

About 4,000 climbers have reached the top of Everest since it was first scaled by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953.