Last year, Tim Howell of the UK climbed Lhotse in the hope of doing the highest wingsuit flight ever. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. He sat by the summit ridge for an hour, oxygen dwindling as the clouds piled up around him until he eventually had to concede defeat. Since then, he has spent months thinking of how to increase his chances of success when he tries again this spring.
Tim Howell. Photo: Tim Howell/Instagram
“As soon as I knew it wouldn’t work [that] time, I was thinking about the next chance,” Howell told ExplorersWeb.
The challenge
Howell’s goal is not just to break previous records for the highest exit point on a wingsuit or BASE jump. He plans to choose the highest possible launching spot on Earth to leave no room for others to surpass him in the future.
The summit of Everest is not an option because it has no cliffs that offer a safe exit point. A nearby spot on the summit ridge of Lhotse is suitable, but you can only reach it by climbing the normal route on the mountain until around 8,000m, then veering off toward one of three points on the ridge. There, the wingsuiter must wait for the right conditions, then fly down the vertical South Face of the mountain.
Guide Jon Gupta on the Lhotse Ridge. Photo: Jon Gupta
Climbing guide Jon Gupta will again lead the way to the exit point, as he did last year. At least two Sherpas will join them. However, the team will also improve some aspects of the expedition based on the lessons learned in 2024.
Improvements
“We can’t change the weather, but I can change the build-up [and] the time frame,” Howell explained in a report he shared with ExplorersWeb.
Tim Howell in the Khumbu Icefall during an acclimatization round in 2024. Photo: Jon Gupta
Last year, a bout of Khumbu cough hospitalized him for three days in the middle of the expedition. This time, he intends to keep a slower pace, use air-warming masks, and be even more careful with food and hydration.
He also gained valuable information about the exit point, which isn’t accessible from the summit of Lhotse — the ridge is too unstable. Instead, he and his team have to climb an ice gully lower down the mountain.
“This also means that instead of having to wait for the summit of Lhotse to be fixed with ropes [which normally happens after work on Everest has finished], we can attempt our jump as soon as Camp 3 is ready, thus saving up to three weeks,” Howell wrote.
The planned traverse on Lhotse to one of three potential wingsuit exit points, marked. Photo: Jon Gupta
Finally, the wingsuiter will increase his team’s manpower through outfitter Climbing The 7 Summits. They will bring a large Sherpa team that can take turns fixing ropes up their alternative route to the Lhotse ridge and also carry plenty of oxygen.
The greater support will allow Howell to carry the gear for both a wingsuit flight and for a more standard BASE jump. He can then decide which to choose, depending on conditions.
Flight details
As in 2024, Howell will use oxygen during the climb but not for the flight. He will fly southwest toward Chukhung village at 4,730m. He has modified his wingsuit for the cold. It is down-filled but not too thick.
“Instead, I’ll have extra down pants and a jacket that I will take off for the flight,” he said.
He will also wear heated shoes and gloves. Read more on the technical details of the flight in a previous interview.
Howell flies from Kilimanjaro. Photo: Tim Howell
An expert BASE and wingsuit pilot, Howell has completed a seven-year project to climb and BASE jump all six of the Great North Faces of the Alps. He has also done the first wingsuit flights from the summits of Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro.
