Everest Skydive 2023 concludes on a high note – Shital Mahajan from India claims world record

A lot of us would have pondered- What does skydiving feel like? And why is it in so many people’s bucket list? A leap of faith as many call it, it requires a spirit of adventure dosed with a rush of adrenaline.

To find out more, this year I was lucky to be amongst the extremes of skydiving and skydivers. Everest Skydive is the world’s most adventurous and exciting aerial event, held in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal since 2008. Continuing its successful history this year marked the 16^th edition of the event and was held between the 10^th and 13^th of  November – Everest Skydive 2023.

What makes Everest skydive unique and highly desired for skydiving enthusiasts is that it requires more precision and finesse. Known as HALO( High Altitude Low Opening) jumps, they are a testament of a skydiver’s abilities. Since the team also attempts it at some of the world’s highest altitudes, they face the added challenge of extreme low temperatures and very low oxygen levels..

Everest Skydiving also means you trek to the location of the jump. This is for familiarization and also to gain acclimatization to low oxygen and prevailing weather conditions. People do Puja to gain favour from the Gods above.

the team conducted this year’s jumps with high-altitude landings at Ama Dablam Base Camp, Kala Patthar, and Syangboche airstrip. The three-day event featured solo jumpers from all over the world. This year’s highlight was an Indian national, Ms. Shital Mahajan, vying for multiple records. Like previous years it was backed up by the core crew team of  Wendy Smith, Paul Henry, Nadia Solovyeva and Omar Alhegelan who have been doing this since 2008.

On the next day, November 11, the weather was ideal. With Capt. Kiran Pun on the helm, the jumps began with a Hop & Pop jump to check weather and wind conditions. And on this load were the daredevils-Alberto, Shital, Laurent and Wendy . Once they affirmed that it was okay, Omar Alhegelan, Nadia Solovyeva, and Alberto concluded 2 loads on November 11.

November 12^th was yet another day of history making, Captain Francois Favart took over flying duties and the load of the day itself was historic as it consisted entirely of women- Wendy Smith, Shital Mahajan and Nadia Solovyeva. Shital successfully added to history by completing a flag jump with the Indian flag. Shital took her first leap from 5000ft AGL (Above Ground Level) at a staggering 17500ft altitude. And successfully landing at 12500ft at Syangboche airport with legendary skydiver Wendy Smith from New Zealand serving as her instructor within the aircraft. November 13 was the day for the history books. Shital again created multiple records by being the first woman to skydive in front of Mt. Everest. And land in some of the highest drop zones- Ama Dablam and Kala Patthar.

Mahajan continued her extraordinary journey as she made an audacious leap and landed at Ama Dablam mountain base camp front at an astonishing 23,000 ft altitude, landing at 4600m (15091ft). For this jump, renowned skydiver from France, Paul-Henry de Baère, known as the ‘oxygen man’ in high-altitude jumps, guided her.

But the ultimate of Shital’s exceptional feats was when she performed a breathtaking jump from 23000ft in the presence of Mount Everest, landing at the highest altitude at Kala Patthar, 17444ft (5317m). In this jump, Paul Henry de Baère again served as her HALO instructor. This jump marked the highest altitude skydiving landing by a woman and established two additional National records for an Indian. It included the first Indian woman to skydive at Kala Patthar before Mount Everest and highest landing by a woman. These records are more remarkable, considering she achieved all this as a civilian.

All these were possible with the vision and years of  meticulous planning of Mr. Suman Pandey, President and Mr. Anuj Pandey, MD of Everest Skydive along with the expert crew of some of the world’s best skydivers, cameramen and camerawomen. Huge thanks and appreciation to all the members for making Everest Skydive 2023 a success.

After watching Tom Cruise do his own stunt in Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning- riding his motorcycle off a cliff and landing safely after opening his suit, I’d thought I’d seen it all when it came to stunts. Shital proved me otherwise. So what does skydiving feel like? Unlike anything you have ever imagined, Shital told me. Transcending and meditative, it will teach you- it is not the years in your life but the life in those years, so go live it! I couldn’t agree more!-Everest Skydive 2023