I can't believe this hasn't gotten more press.

A French helicopter piloted by Didier Delsalle has landed on the top of Mt Everest. This is an incredible feat and sets a new world record for the highest helicopter landing/takeoff. Coverage of the story seems to have been supressed somewhat due to the fact that the French expedition team did not actually have a permit to land on Everest and so did not announce their feat until safely back in France. In fact, according to this (report from nepalnews.com) it looks like the Nepalese government is denying the landing at all and there was some controversy over whether the helicopter actually landed on the summit. However, eyewitness accounts from several expeditions on the mountain at the time and a compelling video shot from the helicopter seems to have dispelled all doubts.

What do people think of this? I think it's amazing. Definitely one of the most impressive exploration feats this year. I would have thought it would have been more widely reported, even in the main stream press. Somehow it changes the way you think about Mt. Everest. I mean if a helicopter can land up there...

From the official Eurocopter press release:

Stepping out of his helicopter, Didier Delsalle commented: "To reach this mythical summit definitively seemed to be a dream; despite the obvious difficulties of the target to be reached, the aircraft demonstrated its capability to cope with the situation (…), sublimated by the magic of the place".

You can see a whole gallery of pictures from the flight and the summit video at the Eurocopter website.