Flying Off Everest

Perched impossibly on a ridge overlooking a 10,000-foot drop into Tibet, Sano Babu Sunuwar and Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa wait. Heel to toe, connected at the waist by a pair of carabineers thats connected to nothing else, they stare down the North Face of Mount Everest, a red and white nylon tandem paragliding wing fluttering behind them. They know that jumping off the top of the world marks only the beginning of a longer, more audacious journey. And they know that the two-mile ride down Everest will be the easiest part. If the jump doesnt kill them.In April 2011 the two unsponsored Nepalis set out on an unprecedented expedition to climb Everest, paraglide from its peak, and paddle nearly 400 miles to the ocean. Little problems wouldnt stop them. Like the fact that Babu had no technical climbing experience. And that Lakpa had never been kayakingor swimming. But after summiting, surviving their flight off the worlds tallest mountain, and being arrested, robbed, and nearly drownedrepeatedlythe two friends discovered their adventure had only just begun.