The two reportedly skied the Lhotse Face before descending to Camp II | Photo: NASA

A group of two NASA sponsored researchers skied into a legal trouble this past week after making the descent from Everest’s Camp III > Camp II without the proper permitting reports the Himalayan Times.

Related: Lessons Learned From Jimmy Chin’s 3 Attempts At Skiing Everest

The Nepalese Department Of Tourism is investigating Willie Benegas and Matt Moniz for lacking the $1,000 ski permit required for all ski-related activities in the region. They did have a climbing permit at the time of the citation.

Ultimately, Benegas and Moniz could be banned from Nepal for 5 years as well as climbing, trekking, or skiing in the nation for up to 10 years. The two were conducting molecular research as a part of a larger, NASA sponsored twin study on Genomics.

Find the entire Himalayan Times article here: Climbers recreating NASA study ski on Mt Everest illegally!