A couple of the guys from High & Wild went to the Syangboche Drop Zone late May to do a practice jump and check out the gear.  I've been told the "wind" sound has been added for affect.  You can get a good picture of the landing area and how it actually is pretty "easy" (all relative) to pick out when you're in the air.

This jump is equivalent to the initial "hop n' pop" we'll do before the big 30,000 ft jump.

We don't have the helicopter anymore because it's been re-tasked in Afghanistan so we'll be going up in the Pilatus Porter P6 for all jumps.

Early June I met with Rich Myhre, a sports reporter for the Everett Herald newspaper, because they wanted to run a story on the Everest Skydive.  I was excited but had not idea what to expect.  We met up at a local Starbucks and we just talked over a cup of coffee.  It was an easy experience but I just kept hoping that I was actually articulating how I felt in a way that he could write it.

The article came out on June 10:  "Jumping from the Roof of the World"

I looked online the morning of June 10 and couldn't even read it.  I sent the link to a couple friends who I asked to read it and then report back to me how it sounded.  Finally I read it myself - Rich wrote a great article and I really appreciated it.

So last night, I was at Charlie Markin's house (skydiver) and he had the actual newspaper article.  I had only seen the Internet version.  The article looked so awesome in the physical newspaper with pictures.  I emailed Rich and he gave me a couple copies of the article.

Last weekend I went down to SkyDance Skydiving in Davis, CA to do my first High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) skydive.  I participated in the jump as a prep for the high altitude jump at Everest.  There were 4 of us doing the jump.  Everyone was super nice and it was a really fun weekend. 

My friend Jesus came with me for support and to take pictures which was awesome.  We arrived at the DZ by noon on Friday, went through the equipment and did two practice jumps from 12,000 ft (standard exit altitude for a normal skydive). 

The 30,000 ft jump was schedule for early Saturday morning. We arrived at the DZ at 6 am (EARLY) Saturday to get geared up and pre-breathe 100% oxygen for 45 minutes prior to take off.  We continued breathing 100% oxygen as we flew to altitude which took another 45 minutes.  When we reached exit altitude we switched to our personal oxygen systems (bail out bottle) for  the actual jump.  We estimated our freefall time was just over 2 minutes (as compared to about 60 seconds in a normal skydive). 

      

Because of the multiple wildfires in Northern California we couldn't see all the way to the CA/OR border or the coast but it was still an amazing jump. 

As a prerequisite for a high altitude skydive, skydivers must take the Aerospace Physiological Training course offered by the United States Air Force.  The course discusses the symptoms and affects of hypoxia (lack of oxygen) that one might encounter altitudes above 15,000 ft.  Though we will be under full oxygen during the flight to altitude and throughout the entire skydive, it is important to understand what could happen should you be without oxygen for some reason.

I really enjoyed the all day course and the instuctors.  There was probably 10 or so people in the course, some FAA employees, some pilots and then me.  Of course I didn't take any pictures when we were in the chamber so this brief description will have to suffice.

So today I finally stepped up, took a deep breath and hit the send button to officially register for the Everest Skydive.  It's on!

I was at home flipping through the January issue of Parachutist Magazine.  Parachutist is a monthly magazine that skydivers receive once they become a member of United States Parachute Association (USPA).

While flipping through the magazine a little 2x2 blurb about a skydive at Everest caught my eye.  I immediately looked up High and Wild Limited for additional information and was getting more and more excited by the minute.  My initial reaction was "I'm doing it" and really, the decision was made in that minute.  I of course put more thought into it but I tend to go with initial feelings/reactions about things.

I happened to be meeting my parents that day for lunch and opened the conversation up w/"Guess what?  I'm going to go do a skydive at Everest!"  I explained what little I knew from the website.  My dad had a lot of questions for me to look into as I continued my due diligence before I made the commitment.  I think my mom's response was "oh, good for you bear" - not sure if she really thought I was going to do it!?!

I immediately called my skydiving friend Oliver to see if he would do it.  He was in Mexico with his family - he's the middle child of three boys.  I guess he got off the phone, mentioned it his brothers and they responded "you're an ass" and went back to whatever it was they were doing.  That was the end of Olly's participation in the jump!  HAHA

A few weeks later and after much more investigation, I was at my sister's house and tried to just mention it in passing.  Leslie was, as expected, not as chill about my participation in such an adventure as everyone else.  Her hesitation came from a place of care and concern.  It took a little while but Leslie is now one of my biggest supporters!

Everyone else: they may not fully understand why I want to do this jump but I'm surrounded by amazing friends and family that support me being me.