SNOHOMISH — Climbing to the lofty summit of Mount Everest would be a remarkable accomplishment for anyone, but 30-year-old Carrie Holmes of Mercer Island has an even higher goal in mind.
Literally.
This fall, Holmes will be part of an international contingent that will travel to Mount Everest for an historic skydive near the world’s largest peak. The group, comprised of 24 skydivers from the United States and four other nations, will jump from 30,000 feet — or slightly higher than the 29,029-foot Mount Everest — and parachute to a drop zone at 12,350 feet.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Holmes, who jumps regularly at Snohomish’s Harvey Field. “I’m never going to climb Everest, that’s guaranteed, so this is as close as I’ll ever get to it.”
Holmes, a onetime track and cross country athlete at Bellevue’s Newport High School (class of 1996), has been skydiving for about three years. Like most beginners, she started by making a tandem jump with an instructor, and then progressed to static line and solo jumps. She is typically at Harvey Field two or three times a week, and on a long weekend with good weather she might jump 10 or more times.
The joy of skydiving “is really hard to articulate to someone who’s never done it,” Holmes said, although there is, she added, an obvious adrenaline thrill, particularly for novices.
More experienced skydivers like Holmes also enjoy the technical challenges and the sport’s unique camaraderie.
“It’s this weird environment of people that I probably wouldn’t have met in my day-to-day life,” said Holmes, who has her own development project management company. “But they’re awesome and you have this common bond.”
On top of that, she went on, “I love jumping out of the airplane, obviously. It’s a total break from every other aspect of my life.”
A few months ago, Holmes was flipping through a copy of “Parachutist” magazine and happened across an article about the upcoming Mount Everest jump, the first jump of its kind in history. She was immediately intrigued, and as she began gathering more information her interest grew.
The itinerary calls for the skydivers, support staff and assorted friends and family members to meet in Kathmandu, Nepal around the third week of September. They will fly from there to the Mount Everest region and then trek to the drop zone near the mountain, where they will spend nine days adjusting to the altitude. One practice jump from 15,000 feet is planned, and then the actual jump is scheduled for Oct. 2.
Three additional days are set aside in case of foul weather, but the group plans to depart on Oct. 6 regardless.
Because of the extreme cold at 30,000 feet they will have special jump suits and helmets, so no skin will be exposed. In addition, they will use special parachutes suited to the greater speeds of the skydivers in the thinner atmosphere. The jumpers will also be breathing pure oxygen from 45 minutes before the plane lifts off throughout the entire jump.
Because she is a veteran skydiver, Holmes understands the risks involved in her sport. And compared to what she faces while jumping in Snohomish, those risks will go up considerably at Mount Everest.
“Fear is the right word,” she acknowledged, “but it’s more a fear of the unknown. There are a lot of variables that are out of your control that sort of add to the dangers of the jump.
“I absolutely have respect for what can happen on this jump,” she added. “And I’m trying to take the (training and preparation) steps before that to make it as successful as it can possibly be.”
Holmes expects to spend about $30,000 for her Everest experience, and she is looking for sponsors to help defray the costs.
“When I first saw this, I was obviously excited and fascinated,” she said. “And I have the ability in terms of where I am in my life to go and do the jump. Professionally, I’m self-employed so I can plan my projects around being able to take 20 days off. And I have the (financial) means to do it.
“I felt like if all those variables came together at once, it was meant for me to go,” she said.
Holmes, who describes herself as “adventurous” and “a doer,” is unsure how to follow up her Everest jump.
“I have no idea what’s next,” she said. “But if there’s something after this that I feel all jazzed about and if it fits in with where I’m at in life, then I’ll do it. For sure.”
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