Suman Pandey

President, Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure

Mr. Suman Pandey - President & Founder, Everest Skydive Pvt. Ltd.

Suman Pandey has been actively involved in travel and tourism business for more than twenty years. He is dedicated to promoting the entire Himalayan region of Nepal, Tibet, India and Bhutan in the international tourism arena. A well-recognised figure in the Nepalese tourism industry, Mr. Pandey has served as the President of the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (TAAN), an executive member of the Nepal Tourism Board and various other organisations related to tourism and other fields. For his contribution and achievement in the field of tourism Mr. Pandey has received the “Tourism Man of the year Award 2010” by Gantabya Publications and the Gorkha Dakshin Bahu (2004). At present, he is an Executive Member of the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 and heads the "Tourism Product Development, Events and Activities" Sub-committee.

Mr. Ang Tshering

Sherpa,

Managing Director of Tara Air (a promoter of Everest Skydive), is a prominent figure in the Nepalese business and economic sector. Thanks to his excellent management style, the Yeti & Tara Group has become the most successful venture in the Nepalese aviation industry. The airline group has been providing excellent and consistent services to its passengers for more than a decade, which has given it a prominent place in the Nepalese tourism sector. Managing a number of companies, including Yeti Holidays, Gokarna Forest Resort, etc., Mr. Sherpa’s involvement ranges in various sectors from insurance to hydro electricity. Besides being a dynamic business entrepreneur, Mr. Sherpa is also a professional golfer and a keen sportsman.

Wendy Smith

Chief co-ordinator / cameraflyer, Everest Skydive 2009

New Zealand's World Guinness record skydiver Wendy Smith was one of the three daredevils to leap from an aircraft at a record height of 9,000m in the skies above Mount Everest, free-falling for one minute at speeds reaching 290kmh. Smith, a freelance camerawoman, was part of an international group of amateur and professional skydivers at the Everest Skydive 2008 programme. Wendy Smith made her first jump in 1985 in New Zealand. She has a passion and talent for photography and filming. Her technical abilities have allowed her to cover helmet cameras, exceptional reportages and international skydiving events. Wendy has competed at International Skydiving Competition level since 1989 and has been a Freelance Commercial Camerawoman over the last 16 years. During these years, she has been awarded with several medals in different disciplines, won Emmy Awards for best remote location camerawoman, gained a new women's world record gold medal in speed skydiving, performed stunts in aerial skydiving never seen before, jumped for aerial fashion model shoots, and filmed and photographed numerous world record skydiving events and commercials. She has co-produced, filmed and participated in extreme skydiving movies at the cutting edge of sport skydiving, and has published a photographic book, 'Eyes in the Sky’, to compliment 15 years of sport skydiving with French photographer and film-maker Patrick Passe.
Wendy Smith, is the Chief Coordinator & Cameraflyer for Everest Skydive 2009. Wendy has taken some fantastic aerial footages of Everest Skydive 2008.
She is also in charge of marketing, supervising the operation, and dealing with clients.

www.wendysmithaerial.com

About Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure:

Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure has been responsible for introducing many innovative adventures in the Nepal Himalaya, since its inception. Specialising in outdoor adventures like trekking and mountaineering, the company organises tours and trips across four Himalayan nations: Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India. To date, Explore Himalaya has organised over 200 mountain expeditions, including expeditions to Mount Everest from both the North and South sides. The company has organised logistics for high profile clients like Bear Grylls (GKN Everest Paramotors 2007), David Hempleman Adams, Karma Trekkers (Canadian TV show), 7 Summits (Denmark) etc. The company also played an instrumental role in organising the ‘World’s Highest Cabinet Meeting’ at Gorakh Shep, EBC’ on 4 December 2009. Explore Himalaya’s dedicated and hard working team has led the company to become one of the leading names in the Himalayan tourism industry.

Explore Himalaya’s subsidiaries include Explore Himalaya Travel, Kathmandu B&B (Apartment Hotel), HATT (Himalaya Academy of Travel & Tourism). Fishtail Air – a private Nepalese helicopter charter company, which has pioneered Alpine Rescue Operation in the Nepal Himalaya - is a partner of Explore Himalaya. Explore Himalaya is also a member of Asian Connections, a powerful new marketing alliance of Asia’s best independent inbound travel operators. The marketing alliance sees the collaboration of eight travel partners covering 14 key destinations throughout Southeast Asia and South Asia.

www.explorehimalaya.com

About Tara Air:

Tara Air Pvt. Ltd. is a subsidiary of Yeti Airlines, the largest domestic flight operator in Nepal. Tara Air was established in 2009 with aircrafts from the Yeti Airlines fleet. In 2009, Everest Skydive Pvt. Ltd entered into a partnership with Tara Air, whereby all of Everest Skydive’s PC-6 flights were operated by Tara Air. With its fleet of four Twin Otters, two Dorniers and two Pilatus Porters, the airline operates scheduled and charter STOL services. Tara Air’s two brandnew Pilatus Porter PC-6 aircrafts offer specialty flights like skydiving, special photography, high altitude mountain flights and rescue operations. Tara Air is part of a group that owns some of Nepal’s top tourism establishments–

Yeti Airlines - With the largest fleet in Nepal, Yeti Airlines has served both the isolated population of Nepal living in far-flung mountain areas and holidaying trekkers and climbers safely and reliably for over 12 years.
Gokarna Forest Resort- An eco-friendly luxury golf resort (with one of the finest golf courses in South Asia) & spa located in Kathmandu.

Thamserku Group of Companies - Thamserku Trekking, Thamserku Expeditions and Luxe Nepal.
Yeti Mountain Homes- A group of comfort lodges situated in the Khumbu/Everest region of Nepal. These lodges (including YMH Kongde, the World’s Highest Luxury Lodge at 4,250m) are amongst the world’s highest luxury lodges, offering panoramic views of some of the tallest mountains in the world including Mt. Everest.

www.taraair.com