If the idea of climbing Mount Everest isn't extreme enough for you, how about skydiving over Everest to the world's highest landing zone? That's exactly what a group of three adventurers did this weekend in a feat organized by a British tour company called High and Wild. The trio from Britain, New Zealand, and Canada ponied up 13,500 British pounds each for the experience, which involved a one-minute free fall above the world's highest mountain, oversized parachutes, oxygen tanks, exposure suits, and a gentle return to earth on a flat drop zone. While the experience isn't for the faint-of-heart - most participants have several hundred jumps under their belts - it seems a heck of a lot easier than trudging up the mountain on foot from base camp. Still, it represents the fulfillment of organizer Nigel Gifford's longtime dream to combine his two loves: Himalayan Mountaineering and skydiving. A total of 32 people will make the "Everest Skydive" over the next two weeks, before the company's permits expire and the mountain must once again be tackled the hard way.
[Photo: Sky News]
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