British pilot Tim Howell has completed the second-ever wingsuit jump from Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro’s difficulty for BASE jumpers is precisely what makes it easy for trekkers: its lack of verticality.
Large vertical cliffs are not a problem for wingsuit pilots. A gaping void is exactly what they need for their free-fall BASE jumps. Therefore, the gentle slopes of Kilimanjaro hardly sound like a suitable option. Yet, appearances can be deceiving. Out of sight from most of the popular routes of Kilimanjaro, there is a 200m face known as the breach wall.
Tricky to pick a jump point
However, the wall is covered in ice and the climbing ranges up to WI6.
“The difficulty was finding the exit,” Tim Howell told ExplorersWeb. “It’s not as simple as walking to the edge of a cliff and finding a suitable point to jump. The cliffs are very loose and the edge is very complex, consisting of scree chutes, rounded edges, and loose rock. It was hard to find an anchor to abseil down to find a suitable spot.”
Previously, only one person had jumped from Kilimanjaro, the legendary pioneer of wingsuit flying, Valery Rozov. Since Rozov jumped 10 years ago, a few people have headed to the mountain hoping to try a jump, but none have actually taken the plunge. Four years ago, Howell hoped to jump with Matt Munting, but bad weather pushed them back.
“In 2020, we got there at the wrong time of year,” Howell said. “Later, Matt passed away in a tragic accident in the mountains.”
Howell had always wanted to return to the mountain, so this year he gathered a highly experienced group and returned to the roof of Africa.
Smooth landing
Howell feels fortunate that everything lined up this time.
“We tried to find the spot Rozov jumped from. In the end, we found a great spot that, was probably not exactly the same point, but in the same area,” Howell said.
Compared with Rozov’s flight, the 2024 flight was much lighter, with better glide and speed.
“When I calculated the glide needed to reach our landing, I was cautious. But in the end, we all pulled our parachutes high above the ground and had a nice smooth landing.”
Landing. Photo: Tim Howell
Returning from Kilimanjaro, Howell reviewed his stats and concluded that this was his 1,201st BASE jump. He has jumped from 659 exit points, Tanzania was the 49th country he has jumped in, and Kilimanjaro is the second of the Seven Summits he has jumped from.
Back to Lhotse in 2025
Speaking of high summits, Howell tried to break a few records by jumping from the upper sections of the Lhotse ridge. He considers it the highest point on Earth that a wingsuit jump can be performed.
With UK guide Jon Gupta, he crossed the upper part of the Lhotse face, deviating from the normal route and reaching a possible jump point on the Lhotse ridge.
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. Conditions are crucial for a jump at high altitude.
“We feel like we’ve done the hard work, 90% of the trip is complete and known. Next time there will be only 10% unknown,” Howell said. So it’s not surprising that a return to Lhotse next spring is “definitely on the cards.”
“With so many lessons learned from last time, we are feeling optimistic,” Howell concluded.
