Sucked into the Sky at 33,000 Feet: The Ewa Wiśnierska Story

On February 14, 2007, elite paraglider Ewa Wiśnierska launched from an Australian mountain for a routine training flight. Within minutes, she was sucked into a massive cumulonimbus cloud and carried to altitudes where commercial jets cruise — with no oxygen, no pressurization, and temperatures colder than anywhere on Earth. Her GPS recorded everything that happened next, including 40 minutes she doesn't remember. Another pilot caught in the same storm wasn't as fortunate. This is the story of an accidental world record that no one would ever attempt on purpose. 00:06 Wilderness Aid Promo 01:08 Podcast Intro 01:31 Everest Storm Hook 03:33 Meet Eva The Champion 04:49 Race Day Warnings 06:07 Launch And Early Flight 06:43 What Is Paragliding 07:45 Storms On The Horizon 08:56 Sucked Into The Cloud 11:51 Hail And Hypothermia 13:59 Death Zone Explained 16:42 Record Altitude On GPS 18:07 Wing Collapse Begins 18:26 Wing Reopens Midair 19:24 Frozen Controls Decision 20:28 Spiraling Down to Land 21:36 Rescue Text and Aftermath 22:39 Another Pilot Lost 25:04 Hospital Miracle Recovery 26:51 Back Flying and Career 29:16 Data and World Record 31:16 Luck Lessons and Farewell Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! [email protected] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/   REFERENCES Wikipedia: Ewa Wiśnierska ABC News: "Paraglider Pulled Six Miles High by Storm — and Lives to Tell About It" (February 16, 2007) CBS News: "Paraglider Cheats Death In Thunderstorm" (February 16, 2007) The Sydney Morning Herald: "Ewa Sucked Into Storm and Lives to Tell" (February 17, 2007) People Magazine: Ewa Wiśnierska interview (September 2024) Cloud Appreciation Society: "Paraglider's Ears Nearly Fall off in a Cumulonimbus Cloud" (April 2007) The Age (Australia): "Storm Rider's Miracle Survival" (February 2007) Bored Panda: "'I Had No Idea Where I Was': Paraglider Explains How She Survived 10,000 Meters Above The Earth" (September 2024) Cultura Colectiva: "The Woman Who Survived Being Sucked Up 32,000 Feet High In A Storm" History and Other Things: "The Woman Who Survived The Storm" (October 2018) Noiser Podcasts / Real Survival Stories: "Ewa Wiśnierska: How to Survive in the Stratosphere" Freedom Parapente: "Maximum Altitude Record in Paragliding — Ewa Wisnierska" Dvorak News Blog: "Paraglider Survives Storm That Sucked Her Up to 32,000 Feet" (February 17, 2007) Documentary: Miracle in the Storm (ABC1 / France 5, 2010) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcastEmail us! [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/