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FROM THE SKY TO THE SAVANNA Holly Budge has, over the last twenty years, been at the forefront of some of the most daring and important adventures. We spoke to Holly about her journey from skydiving camera operator to charity founder, and her ongoing desire to empower women along the way.
JAI Aged 21, you experienced your first skydive, which subsequently changed your life. How did this happen?
JAI How do you define adventure?
HB At 21, I threw myself out of a perfectly good aeroplane for the first time. That 60 second shot of adrenaline changed my life forever. It dawned on me that people were getting paid to jump out of aeroplanes every day of the year. I decided that I wanted to work as a skydiving camerawoman. Yet, I didn't know how to skydive. I worked as a graphic designer in London and saved up enough money to return to New Zealand and firstly learn how to skydive and then how to get employed as a skydiver.
HB My definition of adventure has changed over the past two decades. In my twenties, I was chasing world firsts and world records. In my thirties, I was looking for more purposeful adventures. Through my conservation work, adventure is now patrolling on the front lines with anti-poaching teams in Africa. These experiences have blown any other adventure I’ve done out of the water.
At the time, less than a handful of women had ever worked as skydivers in New Zealand. This motivated me even more. Eventually, I landed my job and was getting paid to jump out of aeroplanes up to 12 times a day, with bulky film cameras strapped to my body. I didn't overthink it; I didn't talk myself out of it or let the fear of failing get in the way.
WORDS & INTERVIEW JAI MCINTOSH
JAI You became the first woman to skydive Everest and have also summited the mountain later on in your life, tell us how that experience came about? HB I knew skydiving next to the highest mountain in the world was an opportunity I wasn’t going to miss. So I worked hard to get sponsored and became the first woman to skydive Everest. I jumped out of a plane at 29,500ft, getting a bird’s eye view of some of the most breathtaking mountain scenery before landing at 12,350ft. I freefalled in excess of 140mph in temperatures of -40C. It was an incredible experience. I knew I would be back to try and climb to the summit one day. So, I learned how to climb mountains. Eventually, I attempted to climb Everest from the north side. Everest was my home for 47 days, above 5000m. I climbed Everest as a two-person team; we battled ferocious winds, -30C temperatures and got caught overnight in a storm in
