Imagine going for a casual paragliding session—only to get sucked 28,000 feet into the sky without oxygen.
That’s exactly what happened to Peng Yujiang over China’s Qilian Mountains.
Testing out a secondhand harness on Saturday, Peng was caught in a sudden updraft that flung him into the upper atmosphere.
“I tried to land… but I failed,” he told CCTV.
What followed was a white-knuckle ascent into freezing cumulonimbus clouds, his face and clothes coated in ice.
“I was spinning, not flying straight. Everything was white—I had no idea where I was going,” Peng recalled.
With numb hands and no oxygen, he relied on his compass and radio to escape the vortex.
A certified B-level paraglider with over four years of experience, Peng somehow kept his cool.
What’s The Scariest Part?
Through terrifying spirals and a nosediving canopy.
He said, “When I tried to pull out of the spiral and couldn’t, I still get chills thinking about it.”
Doctors believe he may have briefly lost consciousness from the altitude.
He’s lucky to be alive—and he knows it.
“I won’t be flying again anytime soon,” he admitted. Some adventures soar.
Others? They remind you why your feet belong on the ground.
