The pair allegedly ignored orders to hold their climb and triggered an icefall, which hit the Sherpas laying fixed ropes. The climbers deny this. Both sides have since reached a peace deal, reports say.
Mr Steck told the reporters that their three-man team - which included Briton Jonathan Griffith - was nearing Camp Three on Saturday, when the “conflict” broke out. He said they had been keeping a respectful distance so as not to disturb the work of the Sherpas laying ropes.
The climbers continued to Camp Three but later descended to Camp Two to “finish the discussion” and were met by more than 100 angry Sherpas, who began to beat them and throw rocks, Mr Steck said. He said the Sherpas threatened to kill the climbers if they did not leave the camp.
Mr Steck said the conflict was the symptom of a long-term problem of “cultures”, but did not elaborate.
More than 3,000 people have scaled Mount Everest since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first conquered it in 1953. Straddling Nepal and China, the world’s highest mountain has an altitude of 8,848m (29,029ft).
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reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com