Meet Shital Mahajan, the Indian skydiver who set record with 21,500 ft jump in front of Mt Everest
Skydiver Shital Mahajan has become first woman worldwide to execute a helicopter jump from altitude of 21,500 feet in front of Mt Everest.
Renowned Indian skydiver, Shital Mahajan has etched her name in history by becoming the first woman worldwide to execute a helicopter jump from the extraordinary altitude of 21,500 feet in front of Mount Everest. The daring feat took place on November 13, as Mahajan, a recipient of the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, accomplished a series of high-altitude skydives in the Everest region.
In a social media post, Mahajan expressed her exhilaration, stating, “I performed the best jump of my life from 21,500 feet in front of Mount Everest and landed at the highest altitude at Kalapatthar 17,444 feet/5,317 m. I accomplished the highest altitude skydiving landing done by a woman, along with two other national records – the first Indian woman to skydiving in front of Mount Everest at Kalapatthar and the highest altitude skydiving landing done by a woman.”
This remarkable achievement followed a series of jumps leading up to the record-setting plunge. On November 11, Mahajan executed her first leap from 5,000 feet AGL (Above Ground Level), landing successfully at 12,500 feet at Syangboche airport, with legendary New Zealand skydiver Wendy Smith serving as her instructor.
The following day, Mahajan performed a flag jump with the Indian flag at Syangboche airport from 8,000 feet, achieving the national record for the highest flag skydiving landing by a woman, alongside skydiving legends Wendy Elizabeth Smith and Nadia Solovyeva.
Ms Kalinga