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Adventurer sets off on Everest parachute mission
Thursday, 8pm - ADVENTURER Simon Repton set off for Nepal this week as part of the team planning the first ever parachute landing on Mount Everest.
Thursday, 8pm - ADVENTURER Simon Repton set off for Nepal this week as part of the team planning the first ever parachute landing on Mount Everest.The former King's School pupil and Grantham College student has been in training for the adventure which combines high altitude with with extreme cold - and culminates in landing on the world's highest drop zone at 12,350ft.
Simon is part of a highly experienced team including world champion skydivers and supported by numerous experts including an aeronaut, a specialist in high altitide life support systems, a doctor, and an acclimatization supervisor.
The team will exit the plane above the mountain and land just short of base camp.
Jumpers will use oxygen during ascent and descent and a specially-designed parachute capable of opening at speeds of over 200mph.
A high level of accuracy will be needed when approaching the landing area to avoid a long hike back to the base camp.
Simon, an IT consultant who now lives at the Breckenridge Ski Resort and Denver, Colorado, had to complete 200 jumps to be eligible for the adventure.
He had done only 68 when he signed up for the adventure in April.
Simon is also a weekend ski instructor, an avid traveller and pilot, holds certifications in scuba diving and skydiving, is a marathon runner, and has hiked the Grand Canyon in both directions in 24 hours.
Follow Simon's progress at www.skydiveeverest.com
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Friday 25 May 2012
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Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
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Wind direction: East
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