Skydivers Take On Everest: Adventurers Become First To Skydive Above World’s Tallest Peak
Posted by Jason A. Hendricks on October 5, 2008 |
Holly Budge, Wendy Smith, and Neil Jones have become the first three people to jump out of a plane above Mt. Everest and skydive to safety. The trio were the first adventurers to take part in a new skydiving venture with High and Wild, an adventure travel company, that promised to take participants above Mt. Everest and let them skydive down to a lower area at 12,870 ft.
In the coming days, 30 more skydivers will take the plunge from above Mt. Everest. Each participant paid more than $15,000 for this rare opportunity, and the first of it’s kind, to get the chance to be one of the first people to take part in this new adventure opportunity. High and Wild’s exclusive Mt. Everest skydiving permit will last for another 13 days, and if all goes as planned, this will become an annual opportunity for skydivers from around the world.
Due to the high altitudes of Mt. Everest, skydivers are required to use a parachute that is 3x the normal size, as well as the use of supplemental oxygen in the thin Mt. Everest air. For the freezing temperatures and wind, skydivers are required the use of neoprene undersuits and thermal gear.
One of the founders of this high altitude skydiving adventure, Mr. Nigel Gifford, had this to say recently to the U.K.’s Telegraph:
It came about because I have been a Himalayan mountaineer and took up skydiving. I love doing both and I thought it would be good to marry the two.
Many of the skydivers taking part have a varied background and experience level. They range from Holly Budge’s 2,500 previous jumps to people that are actually diving in tandem, with an instructor latched to their backs. The oldest person taking part is a 72 year old from Great Britain. Many of those involved are relishing the idea of being one of the first people to ever do something, much like a Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay–the first to summit Mt. Everest back in 1953.
Personally, I think that comparison is a little off track, but who am I to try to ruin a good time? It sounds like an amazing adventure. I just wish I could cough up the $15,000. That would be much cheaper than an Everest climbing expedition, plus you can get it, jump, and get out, without having to spend a month acclimatizing. You might be able to see the top of Mt. Everest in under a week-