BASEjumping Archives – Page 2 of 3

Our disastrous engagement

timdhowell@googlemail.com BASEjumping, Travel May 5, 2020May 5, 2020emergency, hospital, injury, south africa, wingsuiting

The Proposal

EWA: Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I was finishing gearing up while Tim was putting the camera on a tripod. Aiming to capture the minutes before our first jump from Table Mountain. So there he was, approaching me; getting closer to the edge of the cliff where I was standing. He had a strange look on his face. He started speaking, with his voice shaking slightly and eyes weirdly glassed. Then I knew he was about to propose! He told me that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me, and that he was never so sure of anything in his life. He knelt on one knee and asked. “Will you marry me?”

Mount Lico

timdhowell@googlemail.com BASEjumping, Climbing, Travel April 10, 2020May 5, 2020base jump, base jumping, granite dome, mountain, mozambique, new species

A recce is seldom wasted, a phrase I have abided by ever since hearing it 10 years ago whilst serving as a Royal Marine. In this case it was no exception. We came to establish relationships with the locals, to set up a suitable camp and locate the access for the climb as well as landing for a potential BASE jump.

Between the Sea and the Sky

timdhowell@googlemail.com BASEjumping, Climbing, Travel October 20, 2019May 5, 2020base jump, base jumping, big wall, climbing, greenland, trad climbing, wingsuit

Growing up I was surrounded by sailing. I would walk to nursery along the foreshore listening to the cables slapping against the masts. But while my friends grew up to become national champions and presidents of the local clubs, I instead looked up to the mountains. On ski holidays I would gaze up at the snowy summits and wish to climb them without the use of lifts. As a christening present a family friend promised me a set of sailing waterproofs when I came of age, and on my 21st birthday he reminded me of this offer. Instead I asked for a contribution towards my first parachute.

Women’s rights, “dreadful propaganda” and wingsuiting in Saudi Arabia.

timdhowell@googlemail.com BASEjumping, Travel August 13, 2019August 13, 2019base jump, base jumping, saudi arabia, wingsuit

We were approached by a wealthy Saudi philanthropist who wanted a film commissioned. The aim of the short film was to progress the slow movement of gender equality in the Kingdom. What we ended up with was a 4 minute film that was slated by the international press, wasn’t filmed in Saudi and ended with the slogan “behind every Woman is a great man.” So this is the story of how we got to that end result.

High Altitude BASE on Mount Kenya

timdhowell@googlemail.com BASEjumping, Travel April 1, 2019April 1, 2019base jump, base jumping, kenya, mount kenya

Road Head camp 3300m ASL

Soles from boots littered the trail. Left behind during thousands of ascents from local guides. Anderson told us he had lost count of how many times he had made this ascent, and it reminded me to donate my boots to him after this trip. We hiked on the trail to a ridge line of dense shrubs, then into the higher altitude grassland. My fatigue told me I was at altitude yet the landscape did not. Not compared to the scenes of the Mont Blanc Massif I am used to. Instead a dry eerie landscape haunted by twisted rock and draping moss.

Camels and BASE jumps

timdhowell@googlemail.com BASEjumping, Travel April 29, 2018July 6, 2018base jumping, jordan, wadi rum, wingsuit

Our trip was encumbered by last minute flights, failed visas and midnight meetings with the production team. The project was to shoot a short film for the Saudi tourist board, a new push for gender equality and tourism in the Kingdom. Ironically Ewa couldn’t get the visa to enter the country and we opted for Jordan to find a Saudi like mountain to jump off.
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Chasing conditions and my Solo BASE jump off the Eiger

timdhowell@googlemail.com BASEjumping, Mountaineering February 22, 2017February 25, 2017base jumping, north face, skibase, tim howell eiger

The Eiger is an extreme playground that I’ll keep on returning to. From the history of the North face, hard rock climbs, steep skiing and BASE jumping, it has it all. Over time people have pushed the boundaries of these sports on the Eiger, and throughout their history the mountain has also changed. The original ascent was done at the height of summer, while now spring is your best chance to climb the north face. Even now prime conditions can be hard to find. When we reached the summit from the 1938 route we had been on the face with 7 other teams all making the most of the rare, opportune conditions.

My First SkiBASE

timdhowell@googlemail.com BASEjumping November 29, 2016December 6, 2016

skibase-cham-rear-1-2

We planned to head to Conge in Italy for a Christmas of ice climbing. We started the drive from Scotland, picking up mates along the way until we had full van of 8 people. When we arrived the melting conditions meant we had to look higher- in Chamonix, it just so happened I had my new rig with me, (which I picked up en-route) and my skis. I had been researching a few skiBASE exit points in the area and with a weather window of one day and went for it.
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Unsuccessful Climb, Successful Adventure. Big wall in Italy

timdhowell@googlemail.com BASEjumping, Climbing November 29, 2016December 4, 2016

With my feet still feeling the effects of climbing the Eiger 3 weeks ago, I’m now in Italy looking up at a 1000m cliff face. The plan is to climb ‘Via Vertinge’ to the BASE jumping exit point over two days, where my cached Wingsuit and BASE rig will be waiting. Then take a quick flight back to the car-park and drive up to collect Gabo. This was the plan, reality was a bit different.

The 1000m climb was split into 2. The first half consisted of waves of limestone slab broken up by short bands of vertical rock. The second half was overhanging with multiple large roofs. The route, Via Vertinge, is graded 6+, A2.
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The North B.A.S.E Project

timdhowell@googlemail.com BASEjumping, Mountaineering November 23, 2016November 29, 2016

9x3-on-train-1-230x230 Whilst climbing the North Face of the Eiger I could see the Mushroom to our Right. A detached pillar of Rock making a perfect jumping platform. I had to go back and jump it. So after climbing and jumping the Eiger the obvious goal would be to tick the remaining 5 North Faces off, and such the North B.A.S.E project was made.
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