Klaus Leo Michael Gachter from United States is no stranger to Nepal. He has been to Nepal several times and had visited Khumbu thirty years for the rebuilding of the Tengboche Monastery. According to him he was amazed to see the changes in Khumbu since his last visit.
Klaus, who is in his 70s, jumped tandem from a height of 21,000 feet & 27,000 feet during the skydiving (Everest Skydive 2010) event held at Shyangboche drop zone. He is one of the oldest Everest Skydive member to skydive from this height. Explore Himalaya salutes this adventurous soul. A few minutes before his departure, we got to meet and talk to him at Radisson Hotel. He seemed delighted with his skydiving experience and plans to come back next year.
Klaus Leo Michael Gachter
Excerpts from the interview:
EH:How do you feel after skydiving in the Everest region?
Klaus: I feel great and it was an awesome experience. I really hope I will do it again next year.
EH: Is this your first visit to Nepal?
I have been to Nepal six or seven times. But I have not been trekking for the last thirty years ,so it was quite different in Khumbu. I visited Khumbu thirty years ago when I went to Tengboche to initiate the rebuilding of the monastery and Khumbu has totally changed .Then it was all tents, now its all lodges and it is much more comfortable.But trekking is much hader now as you are thirty years older…
EH: What are your views about skydiving in Nepal?
Klaus: I think you can’t do this anywhere else. I think its nowhere as challenging and that’s why I have done it and I enjoyed it tremendously and I wanna do it again.The Himalayas are absolutely amazing. When you view Mount Everest from the top of the viewpoint there, it takes your breathe away!
Skydiving- it takes a certain type of people to do it. I have skydived 40 years ago, but only about a hundred jumps and so in the meantime I totally stopped till this event . But another thing is, I have enjoyed it so much that I will take new lessons in the States when I get back. I plan to come back to Nepal again.
EH: We believe you are involved in charity work.Can you tell us more about this?
Klaus: I am already involved in charity with three organizations in Nepal for the last 20 years, actually since 1981. Nick (Leventis) has just given me an idea during this trip, to maybe do the next jump also as a fund raising event. I don’t know yet how I can work this out but I think it will be an opportunity to take.
