Russian extreme sports star Valery Rozov has performed the world's highest BASE jump - off the north face of Everest - to mark the 60th anniversary of Edmund Hillary's first ascent.
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Why climb a mountain?

"Because it is there" - so goes the famous retort by legendary mountaineer George Mallory.

So, why throw yourself off a mountain?

It's a question that is seemingly yet to be posed to Russian extreme sports star Valery Rozov - but you would expect him to give a similar response.

Rozov marked the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary by hurling himself off the daunting north face in a death-defying BASE jump.

The 48 year-old jumped from a height of 7,220-metres (23,687-feet) above sea level.

Despite adverse weather conditions with temperatures 18 degrees below zero, Rozov landed successfully - and safely.

It's the highest BASE jump ever completed.

So, it's understandable that he was at least a little bit nervous.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Valery Rozov, Russia:
"It was one of the (most) difficult jumps for me because of the high altitude and my personal physical feeling (which was) not the best of course. I was a little bit nervous that the vertical part at the beginning was short for this altitude."

He spent more than two years preparing for the big jump, and about a minute to complete it. But the memory will surely last a lifetime.