Highest BASE jump: Valery Rozov breaks Guinness world record (VIDEOS)
Mount Everest, China -- Nearly 60 years to the day after the first ascent up Mount Everest, Russian extreme sport star Valery Rozov (48) flew off the north face of Mount Everest, 7220 meters (23,688ft) above sea level; he flew for nearly a full minute at speeds of about 200 km/h (125 mph) along the north face before he landed safely on the Rongbuk glacier - at an altitude of 5,950 meters,
setting the new world record for the Highest BASE jump,
according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/. Photo: Valery Rozov, a 48-year-old climber and base jumper from Russia, has set a new world record by performing a wing-suit jump off Mount Everest from an elevation of 23,687 feet, which is considered to be the highest ever Base jump to date. (enlarge photo)
The Guinness world record for the highest altitude BASEjump is 6,604 m (21,666 ft) set by Glenn Singleman and Heather Swan. They both made a wingsuit BASEjump from a ledge on Mt Meru, Garwhal Himalaya, India.
Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the Largest simultaneous BASE jump (outdoor), set by a total of 30 skydivers from over seven different countries, who performed a BASE jump from the Ostankino television and radio tower in Moscow, Russia.
"Only when I got back home did I see how hard it was for me both physically and psychologically," said Rozov after getting home to Moscow. "When you look at the videos you realize that it took a lot longer than usual to get from falling to flying."
Rozov jumpped off Mount Everest to celebrate the the 60th anniversary of the conquest of Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain, by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.
The ascent began on the Chinese side on the famous north route. It took him four days to climb from the base camp to the jumping location. At precisely 2:30 p.m. local time he leaped despite adverse weather conditions with temperatures -18 Celsius.
Because the cliff at the top was not very high, the initial moments of the leap in the rarified high altitude air were the most critical phase.
Rozov needed more time than usual in the thin air to transition from freefall to flying. After that he flew for nearly a full minute at speeds of about 200 km/h (125 mph) along the north face before he landed safely on the Rongbuk glacier - at an altitude of 5,950 meters.
Base jumping is an extreme sport that involves jumping from objects such as bridges, buildings and towers. Prior to this jump, Rozov's previous high was from an elevation of 21,063 feet.
