Everest Skydive 2008 has made it to the record books. The event can be dubbed as the most exciting Himalayan adventure. The skydiving event held the world enthralled, as divers hurtled from above the world’s highest peak Mt.Everest , free falling for a few minutes before opening their parachute and landing on the highest drop zone in the world, Shyangboche. It was a challenging task for the organizers to organize this event. But they have succeeded and having succeeded, they have left a glowing trail of new world records.

Here’s the list of the world records made during the event.
1.    Skydive event from the highest altitude ever – 29,500ft, above Mt.Everest
2.    Highest drop zone in the world – Shyangboche 12,350ft
3.    The first skydiving event held in the Himalayas- Everest Skydive 2008
4.    The first skydiving event where 50 solos and19 tandem jumps were made by 41 skydivers from a height of 29,500ft, 22,500ft,  22,000ft, 19,000ft, 18,500ft and 18,000ft.
5.    The only skydiver with the highest number of solo jumps made from above 22,000ft – Wendy Smith of New Zealand, with 9 solo jumps (8 jumps from 29,500ft and 1 from 22,000ft)
6.    First solo diver of the event- Wendy Smith (New Zealand)
7.    First Tandem Jump – Lucie Fenton (Britain) & Tom Noonan (USA)
8.    First Iraqi to make a solo jump from 29,500ft.- Fareed Lafta
9.    First Swedish to make a solo jump from a height of 29,500ft- Herman S. Duscher
10.    First Danish to make a tandem jump from 29,500ft- Per Wimmer
11.    First South African to make a solo jump from 29,500ft.- Adolphe Botha
12.    First Belgian to make a solo jump from an altitude of 29,500ft.- Christophe De Pauw
13.    First Pakistani to make a tandem jump from a height of 29,500ft.- Namira Salim
14.    First Nepali to make a tandem jump from 22,000ft.- Nima Tamang
15.    First Nepali woman to make a tandem jump from 22,500ft.- Maya Gurung
16.    First Arab to make a solo jump from 29,500ft.- Naseer Alneyadi
17.    First Canadian to jump from a height of 29,500ft.- Neil Jones
18.    First father & son duo to make tandem jumps from a height of 29,500ft. at the same event – Scott Diesel & Lou Diesel from USA
19.    First British woman skydiver to make a solo jump from a height of 29,500ft.- Holly Budge
20.    First American solo jumper of the event- Omar Alhegelan
21.    First Australian to make the highest (29,500ft) tandem jump – Steve Hennessey
22.    First person to summit Mt. Everest as well as skydive in front of Everest- Maya Gurung(Nepal)
23.    First person with gender reassignment (from male to female) to make the highest tandem jump (29,500ft) –  Kate Craig-Wood (Britain)

Nigel Gifford & Alan Walton

Everest Skydive 2008