Tim Howell Adventure

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.

The longest climb in Africa

timdhowell@googlemail.com Climbing, Travel November 22, 2019May 5, 2020adventure, africa, big wall, bigwall, chambe, climbing, malawi, mount mulanje, trad climbing, west face

I was dropped off at the Mozambique/Malawi border by a three strong gang of motorbike riders – I had a lot of kit. Behind the haze huge granite domes loomed in the distance, a seemingly endless amount of granite. I was surprised how swiftly my visa was issued but before both feet left the room I was ushered back in to see a ministry of health representative. After much rustling of papers he mentioned my paperwork wasn’t in order, but five dollars would fix this problem.

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.

Swiss route, Ketil Pryamid

timdhowell@googlemail.com Climbing, Mountaineering August 20, 2019August 20, 2019bigwall, greenland, ketil pryamid, route, swiss route, tasermiut fjord

There is very little information to be found on climbing in Greenland. Especially for what is most probably the most climbed route; the Swiss route on the Ketil Pryamid, first thought to have been climbed by a Swiss team in the 80’s.

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.

Margin for error on Piz Badile

timdhowell@googlemail.com Uncategorized November 29, 2018November 29, 2018base jump, mountain, piz badile

Piz Badile was the only unknown in my North BASE Project. I was sure over the next two days the time and effort would pay off and we would get our new exit point, but after the fifth hour of searching the summit ridge I begun to doubt. I had climbed the North face 2 years ago. A few people had searched the mountain for a wingsuit exit but weren’t content with what they found. The mountain still remained unjumped.
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Skiing the Eiger- Last line of the season.

timdhowell@googlemail.com Mountaineering July 6, 2018July 6, 2018eiger, freeride skiing, skiing, steep skiing, west flank eiger

The Eiger presents me with challenges at my limit. It’s a mountain which hosts multiple demanding routes in all of the mountain disciplines: alpine and rock climbing, skiing, and alpine wingsuiting. A mountain everyone has heard of. The playful alpine meadows below completely contrasting the steep ice shadowed on the North face. Three years ago I woke up on the summit of the Eiger. I shuffled around in my sleeping bag to feel the fresh air on my face while I looking down the West flank. My eyes focused on 2 figures. I watched them swap their crampons for skis and ice axes for poles. My new Eiger challenge would be a ski descent.
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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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