06 Jun 2013 Red Bull tries another daredevil jump, from Everest

This time it sponsored daredevil BASE jumper, Valery Rozov (who has somehow lived to age 48), to make what is claimed to be the first-ever jump from Mt Everest at 23,667 feet/7220m and the world’s highest BASE jump ever – and nearly 60 years to the day after the first ascent up Mt Everest.

More than two years were spent preparing for the jump, including considerable time and effort devoted to developing a special new wingsuit, a special jumpsuit that shapes the human body into an airfoil, creating lift and, with it, “human flight.” Rozov and his team, which included four sherpas as well as photographers and camera crew, spent nearly three weeks in the Himalayas before the jump on May 5.

The ascent began on the Chinese side of the famous north route. It took the team four days to climb from the base camp to the jumping location. At precisely 2.30pm local time, Rozov leaped despite adverse weather conditions with the temperature at -18C.

The initial moments of the leap in the rarified high altitude air were the most critical phase, as Rozov needed more time than usual to transition from free-fall to flying. But once the wingsuit took effect, he flew for nearly a full minute at speeds of about 124 mph along the north face before he landed safely on the Rongbuk glacier – at an altitude of 15,520 ft.

The video, posted May 29, 2013, has had over 491 000 views as at May 2014.