|
Skydivers plunge past Mount Everest
2008-10-05
KATHMANDU (AFP) - Three skydivers in Nepal entered the record books on Sunday, plunging from above the height of Mount Everest to land at the world's highest drop zone. The daredevil adventurers -- from Britain, New Zealand and Canada -- said they had magnificent views as they rocketed past the world's highest peak. "It was amazing, just spectacular," Holly Budge told AFP by telephone after making a safe landing at 3,900 metres (12,870 feet). "We had one minute of freefall and while we were above the clouds you could see Everest and the other high mountains popping out of the top." The skydivers faced sub zero temperatures and fast changing weather when they jumped in front of Everest to touch down in the foothills of the mountain. The trip, organised by British adventure travel company High and Wild, has cost 32 clients around 24,000 dollars each. "It was worth the money. It is something that has never been done before," said Budge, a 29-year-old British camerawoman who has completed 2,500 skydives and who jumped to raise money for charities in Britain and Nepal. Skydiving at altitudes just higher than the summit of Mount Everest created numerous challenges for the project. Due to the thin air, their parachutes were three times the size of regular ones, and the jumpers used oxygen tanks strapped to their waists. They also wore neoprene undersuits and thermal gear to keep out the freezing temperatures as they leapt out at about 8,940 metres (29,500 feet). "The organisers have brought a plane over from Switzerland, and the permits have been very expensive, as has getting everyone to the jump site," said Budge. The oldest client slated to make the jump in the coming days is Alan Walton, a 72-year-old British partner in a bioscience company, organiser Nigel Gifford said. "Although many are very experienced, others are making their first ever skydive and will be going in tandem with experts," said Gifford, whose company has permission to operate in the area for another 13 days. The "Everest Skydive" is an event that has been 15 years in the making for Gifford. "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," he said.
| 
