A Twickenham teenager is set to become the youngest person ever to skydive over Mount Everest in October.
Morgan Wilkins, 17, will be jumping out of an AS350 B3 helicopter, from an altitude of 23,000 ft using supplementary oxygen, and landing on one of the highest drop zones in the world, Syangboche (12,402 ft).
Wilkins will be attempting the skydive in a world record bid later this year, an effort which will see him as being the youngest solo skydiver to jump over Mount Everest.
He said: “I would feel extremely proud and privileged to have been able to have done this at such a young age.
“I am a general thrill seeker and jumping over Everest would be the ultimate item ticked off the skydivers bucket list.”
Skydiving became an interest to Wilkins back in 2017, desperate to join his dad and brother who are also thrill-seekers and both skydive.
Wilkins began his training to become a solo skydiver aged 16 and has since completed 143 jumps in a range of destinations.
He added: “I have jumped in the Algarve in Portugal, Seville in Spain, Fano and Rome in Italy along with various drop zones in the UK.
“I generally try and jump wherever the sun is shining.”
However, before his opportunity to jump over Everest comes around, he aims to do at least another 70 jumps, some of which will be high-altitude (over 15,000ft) requiring supplementary oxygen.
Parabellum skydiving, who deliver skydiving courses led by former Special Forces operators and British and American freefall instructors, are travelling to Mount Everest to do charity tandem skydives.
Wilkins, as an experienced solo skydiver of the Parabellum team, was offered the opportunity by Parabellum skydiving to join in on this charity event.
You can read about another south west Londoner who is charity skydiving to raise money for the NHS here.
