Marbella entrepreneur Pancho Campo becomes oldest person to complete helicopter skydive near Mount Everest

The challenge, which combined the demands of high-altitude skydiving with extreme cold and a lack of oxygen, also had a purpose that went far beyond the sporting feat: take a message against bullying to the Himalayas.

The jump took place this Thursday from a helicopter equipped to operate in high-altitude mountain terrain. Campo reached a speed of around 250 kilometres per hour during his freefall, which he undertook while wearing supplementary oxygen and in temperatures that could drop to 40C below zero.

He jumped from an altitude of over 8,000 metres, in one of the most demanding forms of skydiving, known as HALO (high altitude, low opening), which involves prolonging the freefall before opening the parachute at a low altitude (around 1,000 metres).

With this achievement, Campo also becomes the first Spaniard to complete a solo jump of this kind near Everest. The age record is unofficial, as it has not been recognised by a sporting body. In any case, it marks a new milestone in the career of an athlete who has logged more than 550 parachute jumps and who has turned extreme challenges into a means of conveying messages of personal achievement.

The successful completion of the challenge marks the culmination of an expedition that began on 5 November and has involved several days of travel and acclimatisation.

After meeting up with the team in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, the expedition members travelled to Lukla Airport, one of the most challenging airports in the world due to its location deep in the mountains. From there, they set off on foot, undertaking several days' trek to reach Syangboche, at an altitude of around 4,000 metres, where they established their base camp.

Acclimatisation was essential for tackling a jump in which a lack of oxygen is one of the main risks. Added to this challenge were the extreme cold, the lower air density and the need to maintain control of his body during a high-speed freefall. Campo also had to adapt some of his usual equipment to the specific conditions of the area, including the parachute selected for the high-altitude landing.

Campo wanted to use the publicity his jump would generate to raise awareness of bullying and mental health issues in children and young people. The initiative forms part of Zero Bullying, a programme promoted by The Planet Future Foundation (an organisation Campo founded in Miami) and The American College in Spain (an American educational institution located in Marbella), with the support of the AEPAE (Spanish association for the prevention of school bullying).

Campo's aim is to convey a message of resilience to young people and encourage them to face their fears, while also reminding them that they should not have to deal with bullying on their own. "No child should have to face a mountain of fear alone," Campo states.

The project includes talks at schools and universities, awareness-raising and training activities for teachers, as well as an annual charity gala in Marbella and a conference on bullying and mental health.

The documentaries and footage captured during the expeditions form an essential part of this educational initiative, which aims to provide students with tools to manage their emotions, fear and pressure.

This is not the first time Campo has turned to an extreme experience to support this cause. In August 2024, he performed a Halo jump in Herning (Denmark) from a height of around 25,000 feet. The initiative was, once again, anti-bullying.

His career also includes dives beneath the ice in Greenland to observe the effects of climate change and shark diving experiences in the Bahamas.

In the world of sport, he is a retired professional tennis player, with a career in coaching and team management. He also served as Qatar's captain in the Davis Cup.

Now, at the age of 65, Campo has added a parachute jump near Everest to his list of achievements. He has shown that age need not be a barrier to taking on new challenges.

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