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The summit of Everest is set to play host to a whole new set of adventurers - skydivers.

At least 34 daring skydivers from 14 countries -including the U.S., Britain, Canada, Denmark, and New Zealand will be jumping out of a plane and soaring past the most famous mountain in the world.

The skydivers will need to wear oxygen masks and carry heavy parachutes because of the extremely thin air in the world's tallest drop zone. They'll also be subject to extreme cold on the way down.



The divers will freefall for one minute before opening their parachutes to fall for 8 - 10 minutes before landing at 12, 350 feet.

"This will be the most important event in the Himalayan adventure since 1953," said Nigel Gifford in an article on Reuters, owner of the British company High & Wild which has organized the team.

"To freefall in front of Mount Everest with four other highest mountains is an exceptional experience," said Gifford, 62, who climbed Everest in 1976. "It has never been done before."

Obviously, the dive is not without its fair share of risks. Besides the extreme cold and the possibility of malfunctioning oxygen masks, a myriad of other things could go wrong, like not being able to find the drop zone, getting caught in Everest's fierce winds, or triggering an avalanche while landing in the wrong spot.

"This is not walking the path. This is true adventure," said Per Wimmer, a financier and entrepreneur living in London, adding that the plan was not free from risk.

Nothing that happens on Everest is free from risk - this is certainly no exception. In fact, this seems a little crazy to me. I'll let you know what happens on October 2nd.

Photo: Nigel Gifford (L), organizer of the skydiving team, demonstrates the use of an oxygen mask on one of his diving members in Kathmandu, September 23, 2008.