Jumping off Everest

Wingsuit jumper Joby Ogwyn is preparing to fly off the Everest in his squirrel-like suit. He tells the author what it takes to make this leap of faith

Next month, if weather permits, world-renowned wingsuit jumper Joby Ogwyn will attempt the first jump off Mt Everest's summit. Ogwyn, whose incredible human feat will be aired live across 224 countries, charts his journey that is taking him to the world's highest peak.

When did you start wingsuit flying?

I've been climbing since I was about 15 years old and have been doing high-altitude stuff since I was 19. Then I got into BASE jumping (BASE stands for building, antenna, span, and earth). Wingsuit flying came about some eight years ago.

At 26, I became the youngest person ever to do the Seven Summits. After that I kept going back to the Himalayas over and over again, making several expeditions. I was making a series of documentaries about learning how to perform extreme sports and had very little time to learn how to do it. It was during BASE jumping that I saw my first wingsuit. It was something I'd been dreaming of all my life. And I thought it would be great to put the two together - mountain climbing and wingsuit flying.

Your training for the Everest jump?

I am undergoing dozens of test jumps in California, Florida, Utah and the Swiss Alps. I will travel to the Himalayas for the final training. So, it is after over six weeks of acclimatisation that I will be all set to summit Everest.

What are the risks involved?

It is quite a complicated project and a complicated descent. The first order of business is at arrive at the summit. It's a little easier now with the equipment and the infrastructure that they have put in place on the mountain. But this also means that many more people are climbing Everest and that makes it difficult. After getting to the top, the main thing is the weather. But if it's good enough to arrive at the top, it should be good enough for the wingsuit descent. I'm just hoping that we get a little cooperation from the winds because it really is a lot about the wind.

Where have you performed the wingsuit jump?

I have performed earlier next to the Matterhorn (in the Pennine Alps) where I jumped from the helicopter. I did the same at the Eiger (in the Bernese Alps). I have jumped off the Eiger very close to the summit. It's one of the biggest BASE jumps in the world and it's an amazingly big flight. It's very similar to what we're going to do on Everest.

How does one train to become a wingsuit jumper?

People ask me all the time how to get into BASE jumping and wingsuit flying. I try to deter them because it's not something that a lot of people are cut out for. It's the same with climbing at high altitudes or Himalayan-style climbing. A lot of people like to envision themselves at the summit, but the reality of what it takes and of the dangers of spending time in those kinds of environments is very different. It is usually much harsher and unforgiving than people imagine. The penalties for messing up in BASE jumping or wingsuit flying are very high.

But those who can look past that fear and are willing to train for many, many years and be dedicated to it can practise it with quite a lot of safety and success.

What is a wingsuit and how does it help?

A wingsuit is like a crossover between a flying squirrel and a snow angel. It allows jumpers to spread out their arms and soar and enables them to descend at speeds much slower than those of skydivers. You could say it is something like skydiving and hang gliding, the only difference being that in this case, wingsuit jumpers have to use parachutes to finally reduce their speed and land to safety. But until the jumper pulls the parachute chord, he can perform acrobats while descending in this rather wacky costume.

Joby Ogwyn's jump will be aired live on May 12 at 6.30 am (weather permitting) on Discovery Channel