A German paragliding champion has survived being sucked into a storm that pulled her higher than Mount Everest. Ewa Wisnierska, 35, who lost consciousness as she soared skywards, was covered in ice and battled hailstones the size of oranges.
She was pulled 9,940m (32,612 feet) above sea level in the storm near Tamworth, in New South Wales, paragliding officials said. A 42-year-old Chinese man, He Zhongpin, was killed in the tornado-like storm.
They – along with 200 others – were preparing for a world paragliding championship in the town of Manilla, Australia, when the thunderstorm hit.
Championship organiser Godfrey Wenness said it was remarkable that Ms Wisnierska had survived. “There’s no oxygen,” Mr Wenness said. “She could have suffered brain damage but she came to again at a height of 6,900m with ice all over her body and slowly descended herself.”
Ms Wisnierska finally managed to land – 60km (40 miles) from where she took off.
Not a sport I feel like taking up. But, Ms. Wisnierska is more than brave. Says she’s ready to compete for the title, again, next week.
I wonder how anyone knows she reached 32,000 feet? Did she have an altimeter with a recording function on her person? Were there observers, and how would they determine the exact altitude?
The article states that her paraglider had a gps unit that recorded all the data.
This story really amazes me. I sure do appreciate the editors at Dvorak Uncensored for posting it.
What kind of idiot goes paragliding with thunderheads forming around them? “Sudden” thunderstorms my arse.
#4
Apparently German paragliding champions and Chinese paragliding team members do it. The Chinese fellow wasn’t so lucky.
Talk about a wild ride.
and she’s going to keep doing it??
who determined she had no BRAIN DAMAGE???!!!
Reminds me of the 1980 movie, The Gods Must Be Crazy.
They’re flying in the Ultralight, and get sucked up to 30,000 feet by an updraft.
The little boy putting a piece of wood over his head to scare the hyena away…priceless.
The image that has stuck in my mind from that movie is the sheer delight on the faces of the kids in the classroom as one thing after another goes haywire for the shy elephant poop collector. Those kids weren’t acting.
Wonderful little low-budget movie.
As for the thunderstorm, pilots call them “wing rippers” for a reason. Lots of energy packed into those thunderheads. They roll in quickly, but there should have been plenty of warning to the paragliders, my wife (the pilot) tells me.