<P> In 2011 two Nepali paraglided from the Everest Summit to Namche in 42 minutes . They had run out of oxygen and supplies, so it was a very fast way off the mountain . The duo won National Geographic Adventurers of the Year for 2012 for their exploits . After the paraglide they kayaked to the Indian Ocean, and they had made it to the Bay of Bengal by the end of June 2011 . One had never climbed, and one had never para-glided, but together they accomplished a ground - breaking feat . By 2013 footage of the flight was shown on the television Nightline . (see also kayaking for more on this style of activity) </P> <P> In 2014, a team financed and led by mountaineer Wang Jing used a helicopter to fly from South base camp to Camp 2 to avoid the Khumbu Icefall, and thence climbed to the Everest summit . This climb immediately sparked outrage and controversy in much of the mountaineering world over the legitimacy and propriety of her climb . Nepal ended up investigating Wang, who initially denied the claim that she had flown to Camp 2, admitting only that some support crew were flown to that higher camp, over the Khumbu Icefall . In August 2014, however, she stated that she had flown to Camp 2 because the icefall was impassable . "If you don't fly to Camp II, you just go home," she said in an interview . In that same interview she also insisted that she had never tried to hide this fact . </P> <P> Her team had had to use the south side because the Chinese had denied them a permit to climb . Ultimately, the Chinese refusal may have been beneficial to Nepalese interests, allowing the government to showcase improved local hospitals and provided the opportunity for a new hybrid aviation / mountaineering style, triggering discussions about helicopter use in the mountaineering world . National Geographic noted that a village festooned Wang with honours after she donated 30,000 USD to the town's hospital . Wang won the International Mountaineer of the Year Award from the Nepal government in June 2014 . </P> <P> In 2016 the increased use of helicopters was noted for increased efficiency and for hauling material over the deadly Khumbu icefall . In particular it was noted that flights saved icefall porters 80 trips but still increased commercial activity at Everest . After many Nepalis died in the icefall in 2014, the government had wanted helicopters to handle more transportation to Camp 1 but this was not possible because of the 2015 deaths and earthquake closing the mountain, so this was then implemented in 2016 (helicopters did prove instrumental in rescuing many people in 2015 though). That summer Bell tested the 412EPI, which conducted a series of tests including hovering at 18,000 feet and flying as high as 20,000 feet altitude near Mount Everest . </P>

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