:THE INCREDIBLE HUMAN SERIES: click here to see the more in the series

As of 2010, 3,142 people have climbed Everest with a total of 5,104 ascents.  Some have skied it, others just climb, but Babu and Lakpa took an entirely different approach. Both had climbed the peak before, but they did not want to just climb to the top again: this time they wanted to focus on an epic descent. From the top in a paraglider, the two glided as long as possible to land, rode bikes to the river, and jumped into kayaks paddling their way thousands of miles down the Ganges to the Indian Ocean. On February 28th, the two won National Geographics readers choice Adventurers of the Year for 2012, the perfect finale for their 29,028ft descent from Everest to sea level. [Read more...]