Meet your 2012 National Geographic Adventurers of the Year: Sano Babu Sunuwar and Lakpa Tsheri.

These fearless Nepalis deserve the title, bestowed upon them by 72,000 admiring Nat Geo readers. Their Ultimate Descent expedition is simply astonishing.

In May 2011, they climbed Everest, launched a paraglider from the summit (setting a world record for free flight), landed at the base of the Himalayas, trekked to the Ganges River, and then kayaked all the way to the Indian Ocean.

Let that soak in.

But we’re not done. These guys completed the Ultimate Descent with borrowed equipment, no corporate sponsors and what appears to be a pair of ear-to-ear grins the whole way down.

Check out the video above for a brief glimpse into their world, and be sure to check out a more in-depth telling of their adventure at National Geographic.  The full story — which involves a knifepoint robbery and near drowning on the Ganges — is well worth the read.