When This Paraglider Flew Right Into A Huge Storm, The Unthinkable Happened

German paraglider Ewa Wisnierska found herself standing with 200 fellow paragliders on the brink of Mount Borah in New South Wales, Australia. They were about to launch off the mountain when they received an unexpected warning.

Storm Clouds

Some ominous storm clouds had been spotted to the north, and as the day progressed, thunderstorm warnings got more and more severe. The paragliders had been warned, and Ewa set her GPS and tracking log. At first glance, the approaching storm didn;t look too dangerous. She prepared to take off, not expecting what would soon unfold.

Takeoff

Safely strapped into her glider, Ewa Wisnierska took a starting run and launched herself into the clouds. On the ground, the rest of the German team followed in a van to track her progress, checking in with the paraglider via radio from time to time.

Calm Before The Storm

The first part of Ewa’s sky-high journey was calm. She followed the Northern facing mountain ridge from Mount Borah for 12 miles before entering the skies over the vast savanna. That;s when things took a turn for the worse.

Thunderstorm Clouds Appeared

As Ewa Wisnierska’s GPS and tracking log ticked on, tracking her progress through the skies, two thunderstorm clouds appeared before her, one larger than the other. She and her teammates had taken off roughly an hour after the other paragliders, were they in danger?