Paraglider pilot swept to 7,300m in Himalayan storm - and survives

[@soniastephen8163]

My goodness guys some of these comments … I think he knows he f**ked up 🙄 He’s sharing to educate others which is very brave and generous of him. All of those accusatory sneering comments are unnecessary. Thank you very much for sharing Ben, I am glad you survived and are on the way to recovery.

[@davinderc]

There's not much to learn from "I ignored several warning signs"... Yeah everyone makes mistakes, it's knowing what those mistakes were that helps others avoid making them or dealing with them correctly. Pretty much any paragliding school will teach you to avoid bad weather and know that weather can surprise you. I'm not sure what comments you're referring to...

[@daveharper8031]

@@davindercif only there were more Paragliders like you that apparently never make make mistakes. Have you considered a career in teaching to help us all out or are you going to stick to attacking strangers that make nice and supportive comments on the internet?

[@NickStaib]

@@davinderc - Try some empathy. You are talking about a guy who quite literally survived a very close encounter with death. You could learn much from the humble family that looked after him and nurtured him, rather than acting like jerks.

[@DrAElemayo]

@@davinderc Yeah, but a lot of people don't take extreme precaution with weather. There is definitely something to learn here. Weather isn't easy to read and sometimes something that looks like a situation that was fine 99% of the time in the past turns out a lot worse. It's not as easy to avoid things like this as you seem to think.

[@mariusskrupskis2042]

@@davinderc chill out o_O and grow up. Comments like one thing leading to another and giving him false confidence. This is the silent mistake devil. Mistakes must be talked about a lot in neutral manner, that's how everyone learns. You should probably add to your comment: - never touch break pedal when your car is in a skid.. would fit that IQ very well

[@cabanford]

I got sucked into a very big (not CB) cloud in Colombia some years ago. 15 minutes of violence, rain and finally hail/snow later (at the equator), I popped out the very top of the cloud that was twice the height of anything else in the sky around me. Wasn't one of my finer flying memories. I was flying on the edge of the cloud, heading to the start cylinder & had a collapse that cravet'd up my right tip - by the time I cleared the cravat, had been pulled into the white. I've always been cautious, but it sometimes doesn't take much 😬 Glad you made it. Hugs

[@bentownsend4017]

You can feel his soul is tender, you can tell it's probably impacted his outlook.

[@maciejboguta5580]

Huge thanks for the courage of sharing this story, I’m pretty sure most of us underestimate the potential in the atmosphere constantly, I’m for sure guilty of going under a cloud that I didn’t like so much, just to avoid bombing out. I heard about a Polish/German woman surviving being sucked in Australia 15 or so years ago, but that was way before I started to fly, she was a comp pilot etc. Your story changes the perspective completely and is so much more impactful to me. Once again thank you and I wish your health improves quickly so you can get back stronger!

[@paraglideaddict]

You are probably referring to the well-known story of (former competition pilot) Ewa Wiśnierska; an (extreme) example of the dangers of being sucked in by a cloud. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6eUgI2jf7t_arc Fortunately, Ewa can (re)tell the story, her fellow pilot - who was also sucked in - cannot.

[@walkingaround8888]

​@@paraglideaddictfact!

[@kiteandpizza]

But she and all others heading that course were well aware of what was going to come! They were in a race following Chrigel M. Both "cells" were clearly visible from takeoff.

[@skyjockbill]

Wow, this had me in tears at the kindness of the family that brought you into their home. So glad you came out alive, and kudos for sharing your story as a cautionary tale.

[@JonM-ts7os]

gay

[@misterkirkwold9350]

Here,s to a speedy and complete recovery Ben! Thanks for sharing .

[@erocnw1341]

What an incredible survival story. Thanks for sharing. The family who helped you are life savers.

[@maciejkaczor5436]

Thank you for sharing ...very raw and eye opening... get better... safe flying

[@freeflyer]

I'm glad to see you're safe bro! Get well soon 🙏

[@zacharyroyce]

Wow, what a story. Glad you made it. I think you will feel a lot better soon. As painful as the experience is, I hope it makes all the rest of your life a little sweeter.

[@miqmp]

Thanks for sharing your story. So lucky to be alive, get well soon!

[@FlyWithFitz81]

I wasn't expecting to cry today. This made me think of my family and what if I were to encounter a similar event. That was about as honest and sincere as anything can get. I hope you decide to get back up there, maybe in a canopy :) Glad you are O.K. and sharing this (as hard as it might be) is the right thing to do. Safe flying!

[@johnfargher1]

Wow thanks for sharing this, so glad you survived.

[@432534324643256]

Thank you so much for sharing this wild experience. Sending you love!

[@PPGMatt]

What an incredible story, thank you for sharing for others to learn from. Glad to hear you are on the mend and hope you’re back with us enjoying the skies soon!

[@shagsmire]

Ben, I've been hoping to join you, Trace and Dave on one of these awesome trips. So grateful to hear you survived this harrowing experience! "THE FORCE IS STRONG IN THIS ONE"

[@roadboat9216]

What a story. Wow. Very lucky in the air and on the ground. What wonderful people that helped you. Bless them.

[@ivarspurvins7133]

Incredible survival story. Thank you for sharing

[@tiffanyspangl6668]

This is my brother in law. After returning to Canada and getting more scans done, it was discovered he had 3 fractures in his neck he was unaware of. He’s now in a neck collar for the next 8 weeks, but was immensely grateful for being back home with his two young children trick or treating on Halloween.

[@yardfowl3149]

the guy must be a cat, he definitely used up a handful of lives on that adventure. Glad it had a happy ending

[@medicfung]

Will he fly again?

[@tiffanyspangl6668]

@@medicfungoh ya, it’s his passion and has already said he’ll fly again. He still plans to go kiteboarding in Dominican in January, even though my sister (his wife) thinks he’s crazy for thinking he can while he’s still currently in a neck collar.

[@tiffanyspangl6668]

@@yardfowl3149this is a great analogy

[@VonHanzee]

you mean Canada isnt suggesting euthanasia?

[@Munstermarty]

Thank God you survived and speedy recovery,

[@uberdenwolken4564]

Wow, god still has other plans with you. Glad you made it. All the best for you and your recovery. Thank you for sharing this story.

[@mmpatriot2170]

Holy Chit. I’m so glad you survived. I’ve been revising my risk tolerance for the last few years. I love flying. Aaand… I have so much more to live for. ❤️

[@jodlmasta99]

get well soon !!! Take care and thanks for sharing your story 🙏

[@heartsky]

Very moving story, and the emotional impact on Ben is tremendous. Stay safe Ben!

[@olamarvin]

Glad you made it! And thanks for sharing your story.

[@cameddy4081]

😱!!! Nature is not a medium it is a large ! Thank you for sharing - what a tale ! Bless the Nepali and Indian Himalaya hill people ! And bless you for for your calm, very meaningful and articulate story ( are you a doc ? Your listing of your medical issues is rather stunning - really glad your are ok and getting better , absolutely amazing - those gorges in the Himalaya are formidable ) . Safe flying to you ( you have to get back on the horse - it’s ok !) blue skies 🙏🌏✌️

[@TheRealRoch108]

As a commercial pilot and long time plane owner that is some crazy shit. Updrafts/downdrafts are scary in heavy metal much less the situation you got yourself into. Really glad you made it back...

[@JoeKyser]

Omg wow. God blessed this man. People can be so good.

[@evobeshinsky4977]

Very hard lesson but another miracle to be able to tell the story. Thanks for sharing. Safe flying and choices Eagles!

[@jameserswell2161]

well survived! thanks for sharing!

[@MrAllstar]

Poor dude, what an experience. Thanks for sharing man, it was a story worth telling 💪🙏

[@EVE101Patt]

thank you for sharing your story! speedy recovery to you and all the best

[@Gillesgip]

Oooof..What an adventure! Thank you for sharing. Hope you get well soon

[@gappleton8255]

The most important preparatory question to ask yourself before an adventure is not "is my gear good?", "are conditions right?", or "do I have my safety gear?". It is: "Am I being overconfident?" Overconfidence might not get you every time, but it WILL get you eventually. Very happy that you survived this ordeal - AND THANKS FOR SHARING!

[@FlyWithFitz81]

You should teach high-school!

[@hung8969]

hope this guy cheers up, lifes about exactly this. here for a reason

[@StanBarankiewicz]

Thank you for sharing your story! Wishing you a speedy recovery! The Yukon is a beautiful place. In 2000, I snowmachined from Tok Junction, Alaska to Dawson City and then back a couple of days later. It was a great adventure, but nowhere near as dramatic as yours! Glad you made it. Take care.

[@karlbe8414]

I am not a pilot, but thanks for the sharing, very worth hearing at various levels. Life is precious!

[@dappa4608]

Hardcore dude glad you made it that family i hope you go back one day and reward them

[@Major-Steve]

Wow! No broken limbs or vertebrae! No head injury! What a story!

[@stevemorris3544]

Thanks for Sharing, This is no joke, hope others take notice like he said. Been flying since 1982 and I have lost friends over the years. The younger hot pilots always take more chances, I did too when young but not to this extreme. Fly Safe Everyone.

[@geniennis]

Glad you survived thanks for sharing.

[@oreilly1237878]

Thank God you are now safe and sound

[@andrewpearse53]

Amazing story. Thanks for sharing.

[@Bob_just_Bob]

I was in Bir when this transpired. Was actually taking a non-flying day on the 17th and remember hearing about your situation, so many people were trying to locate you for quite a long time it seemed, and I remember thinking I made the right choice (by sheer luck) to not go up that day. Glad to see you are recovering, sorry to hear it was such an ordeal that you went through. As a career helicopter pilot (paragliding being my post-retirement hobby) I've had many scary encounters with weather and have the utmost respect for mother nature. I'm so glad you are still here to help spread the word about what can happen and make people think twice about perhaps pushing their luck. Best wishes for your continued recovery.

[@ats-3693]

A few years ago two paragliders here in Australia got sucked up to nearly 33,000ft in a thunderstorm, one of the pilots a Chinese guy died his body was found 47miles from the launch site a few days later, the other pilot a German woman regained consciousness after she was spat out of the top of the storm and slowly drifted down, she was incased in ice and suffered severe frostbite but survived.

[@georginabastien49]

I saw the documentary about the woman. Amazing she survived. They have instrumentation that recorded that she was pulled that high. What a story to have that you survived that!

[@ats-3693]

@georginabastien49 Yeah their electronic altimeter GPS computers record the entire flight... It's crazy when you consider the peak of Everest is 29,000ft, she went nearly 4000ft higher than Everest with no supplimental oxygen or proper protective clothing and survived.

[@natscat4752]

@@ats-3693wow that is really something to survive that

[@Erwin70000]

life a most precious gift!

[@chris-terrell-liveactive]

Very glad to hear of your fortunate escape. Best wishes for a full recovery. I'll share the link with friends who fly.

[@markjones3425]

Un Abrazo Ben...incredible experience, and gracious contrite humility...heal well.

[@dip-tree]

Glad you are back home with your loved ones. Nature can be very dicey at times, and we just need to thank for each moment we are alive and able-bodied.

[@AliBabaFlyHigh]

Thanks for sharing and please don't stop flying. Just fly safe.

[@davereloader8837]

Terrifying. Thanks for sharing.

[@march6482]

Glad you're ok mate!

[@craigwoodley]

Mate celebrate you survived everyone stuffs up daily, we shrug it off and we get back in the saddle. You will be a better pilot having gone through this experience and quite honestly you alive and kicking so enjoy your passion !! Happy flying bud.

[@waynehearst317]

Praise God you're alive! He has plans for you and you are truly BLESSED!

[@dianalauren]

Thanks for sharing…. Take care

[@daniilfyodorov7887]

Hi Ben. I am so glad you survived this difficult and extremely risky situation. It was a miracle. I wish you full recovery and safe flights in the future. You may remember, we played table tennis at Camp-360 on the evening of October 11. I remember that evening, the beautiful sunset, the delicious and unusual dinner, the pleasant company, your interesting friends, especially the laughing guy (I forgot his name). I wish you all the best!

[@robinlefebvre3560]

Thanks for sharing your story, and I wish you a full recovery. We practice one of the most beautiful sports, giving us freedom, access, and vistas no other unmothorised sport an give. We practice the most accessible flying sport. But there are so many dangers, every year scores of pilots die. Rarely can we learn from their mistakes, as the community does not have access to the bad story's, or prefers to ignore them. The mantra: 'That will never happen to me'. Here is the spontaneous response... 'Yeah, but everyone knows thunderstorms are dangerous, I will never fly in them' is of the mark (albeit obviously correct). What you are warning us for is the build-up of complacency. You've been in Bir for 2 weeks, flying 30+ hours, and regularly seen thunderstorms in the distance. You were not alone, and for 2 weeks, no one gut hurt... so you become more confident. Minimalising the risks.this is what is the root cause for most accidents, and the lesso we should all learn from you. Our sport is a dream come true, but potentially very dangerous. Getting overconfident kills.Being reminded of that, so more people self-analyse before take-off, analysing the real risks verus their skills. Thank you so much for your bravery for sharing your story, I would wish more pilots who make mistakes share them, so we can learn from them. Fly safe! From a pilot, an instructor, and a school director.

[@djsaintmichael]

Crazy - thanks for that

[@SkyeCove]

I knew Ben when we were kids. What an ordeal and I’m glad he made it through. I hope his recovery goes well.

[@taylorgardarian]

Fantastic post! Please share this story to as many as possible

[@Trex-gd3io]

Absolutely terrifying. So glad he lived to tell the tale!!!

[@tobycolombe5493]

Ben, thanks for sharing. Unfortunately, this seems to happen a lot in Bir. Lots of pilots rolling the dice with big clouds (maybe because everyone else is doing it). I was there the same day. Our group landed TWO hours before this this due to size of development. Abundance of caution folks! Wishing Ben a full and speedy recovery.

[@ChrisJewell7333]

Glad you survived brother…🙏

[@johnjoeflanagan]

You were spared by nature to share your experience and relate the kindness of strangers. You are alive and have your family. I wish you well.

[@5ty717]

Thx bro… you described being thrown to the back-side of your (im guessing perfectly adjusted) harness … I’ve experienced nose down on enzo that definitely did this… when u have time perhaps you may convey the difficulties experienced in the up phase…. Spiraling but also the sheer physics and power. I am physicist and interested not just from PG mountains perspective: what surprised you in your efforts to escape

[@TheBabyskywalker]

Yikes! Great survival story Hope all is well

[@arcticmorning]

Incredible story

[@FlozzaBalkano]

Hi Ben. Glad you are alive! I wish you a fast and full recovery and that you'll be able to fly with joy again in the future! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! I will keep your experience in mind for my own future flights. 🫶🤍💙

[@timothyortega5608]

I'm glad you made it... It looks like you gave your guardian angel a run for his money on that one. Be blessed❤😮

[@rivertownrider7126]

I would watch this movie of both an emotionally stirring story, and one of survival under conditions so extreme most people could not even imagine a person finding themselves in this situation.

[@rodragsdale1702]

Very interesting story my friend. I recently had a "run in" with a very small and localized storm in West Africa and it gave me a serious warning as well. I had the fortune of being in a flat part of the World and I just ran with the wind and ended up only a few kilometres from where I had intended to go and without any injury. Storms are serious and they can and do kill. If jet airliners avoid storms, perhaps bag flyers should as well! Thanks for sharing. The kindness of people in this world is amazing.

[@piotr.gliniak]

Thanks for sharing, Ben! Can you tell us about those "multiple clear warning signs" you said at 0:32 that you ignored?

[@ovidiugarbacea9498]

Piotr...it's 2024...we have weather radar.The guy went paragliding when a hailstorm was about to hit. When a storm like that hits the side of a steep mountain the air has nowhere to go but up. While airborne without engine you are 100% at the discretion of winds and currents...i remember years ago here in Fort Lauderdale a guy was kite surfing and got picked up by a gale of wind 100ft up in the air across the street and smashed into a building...R.I.P. He was on the water in 90 degrees weather...so to say that Ben was lucky is an understatement... I can imagine GOD watching him and laughing his ass off...everything that's extremely stupid is funny at one point...and so God decided to give him a second chance. Hey Ben, did you see the movie Final Destination?😅

[@DrAElemayo]

@@ovidiugarbacea9498 It's not as easy as you think. There were lots of people flying in the area that day, some even getting close to the location and time where this incidient happened. A lot of people were fine. I'd also be very interested to see what it looked like

[@ovidiugarbacea9498]

@@DrAElemayo it's your life so you decide...all i'm saying is...this guy died and was reincarnated into the same body that day...this is his second life...he can celebrate that day as his birthday...

[@davinderc]

He goes into it in detail in his interview in Cloudbase Mayhem, while this video is just a cut-together advertisement for the magazine

[@rya7642]

this guy lives life

[@airgaborpara3824]

God has plan with you! I wish you speedy mental and physical recovery!

[@Runpulator]

But not for the kids in cancer wards 🤮

[@majedalsaeed4388]

Unreal story, Ben! Incredible resilience and thanks for sharing the hard lessons. Glad you’re safe and recovering!

[@LaissezCompetent]

This sounds terrifying. I've not been to your channel prior to this but I'm glad you're okay. Take care of yourself! We live and we learn! To those who feel it's appropriate to continue to berate someone who has clearly articulated they're well aware of having made mistakes, you might rethink these kinds of responses in the future. The people who need to be told they made a mistake over and over again, are those who do not yet realize or acknowledge they've made them. He didn't have to post this video and could easily have said nothing. He decided to share the story so others can learn from his mistakes.

[@ohnezuckerohnefett]

You are clearly still in shock. I'm happy for you that you live to tell your story, and I hope your body heals soon. Consider at some point talking about your traumatic experience with a professional, if I may suggest that.

[@_onesimpleidea]

Glad you survived and ran into good people to help you. Your story is clearly heartfelt. Still, it would better achieve your sharing / teaching objective if you had explained what you did wrong. Having flown several different things over the years, I can piece it together, but a clear blow-by-blow of how you got into that situation would really be helpful. Maybe another video when you're up to it?

[@TheTexasDuke]

What a story. Ur so lucky god was with you

[@nightwaves3203]

Stay away from the bumpy cloud bottoms. That's where the rising air moisture turns to cloud. It can stay at one altitude but as you've seen it can be radical uplifts. The more of a boiling bumpiness the more radical of an uplift. Storms also suck air into them so if it's on thee mountain oh well. Rotor actions can get you in clear air.

[@harrismagnum04]

glad you made it

[@peaceandlove2555]

Whoa😮amazing epic experience! I glad nothing happened to you 🍀💪🏼👍🏻

[@youtubefitness293]

Omgggggg bless you 🙏🙏

[@kevinbaxter7390]

This Happened to DEL BOY aswell 👍🙏🏻

[@matthewmc4363]

Your alive❤

[@leolennox1209]

Would be helpful to know from Ben what he would have done with the benefit of hindsight. Was landing an option? What were the implications of keeping further away from the weather?

[@itcantbetruebutis7778]

People that comment so harshly at these people have often never done ANYTHING themselves!!! They take no risks and live in their beds and on couches lmao. So ignore the hate and bitter people man!! Life is not perfect we make mistakes!!! Glad u lived!!! That's all that matters

[@Lift33d]

Wow you got swept up 4 miles and almost died! I was just about to get a Para glider here in Florida so I can go up near hurricanes but these now seems like a bad idea.. Ill stick to FPV.. glad you survived!

[@judyleden3764]

Thank you for sharing this story, in such a powerful way. There but for the grace of god go many of us who have taken risks in the past. I flew Bir in 1983 (hang gliding) and one pilot died having been caught in the gust front on landing. These CuNims are much bigger and more powerful than we are. I wish you all the best for your recovery

[@alex-in-the-sky]

Thanks for sharing to make us all safer. I would be also quite interested to know about what you think you did wrong before getting sucked in, what you think was the right move, what did you try that didn't work etc ? I saw on the tracklogs of people that flew with you from your takeoff that most turned back much ealier, and you pushed further and then they were on the ground right before you started ascending it seems, care to comment a bit more on the reasons behind your strategic decisions there please ?

[@stevenwarner7348]

And so and so and so.... On and on and on. Just heard of the death of a hiker here in the White Mountains ~ last Friday. Walking on an icy ridge, with spikes, ice ax, call to his wife at 4PM, "everything OK". Dead at 5PM. Found at 2AM. Just this Friday. Shit happens. Thank you so much for sharing this. 〰✨🙏✨〰 You are blessed. New Hampshire.

[@heythereuzi]

This is my brothers friend, when he came back to Canada, he had to go back to the doctors, and it turned out after two more X rays and an MRI, he also had autism . . . . . This is obviously a joke, best wishes go to this guy, as someone who has been in a bad accident before all I can hope is he heals fast and back to 100%, wild story and blessing you’re still here. Cheers from the island

[@KobraVR]

My brother used to hang glide in the Alps, he said if he ever got sucked into a thundercloud it was best to unclip and fall out of it and trust his luck with the reserve shoot. It never happened but it always reminded me how dangerous these things are, even fighter pilots avoid them.

[@0OlIS5]

In the case of cloud suck, is a legitimate solution to go full stall with the rear risers? Or would reinflation at terminal velocity destroy the wing and possibly the pilot?

[@DrAElemayo]

I don't think there is a perfect solution. Stalls would expose you to much more turbulence, potentially putting you in an unrecoverable situation or getting you wrapped in the lines. The fastest way to go down is with nose down spirals. However it's likely that you could black out and might even still be ascending if the wind is going up fast enough. Possibly cutting away and having a parachute designed for free fall (after you're well below everything) might work. The best way to avoid all of that though is to just be cautious with the weather and avoid putting yourself in these situations in the first place. Get yourself away from the lift with speedbar early, Land ASAP if you're not sure about what's going on.

[@sza1985]

Do you remember what exactly happened during the flight? How did the day develop? At what points would you make different decisions in the same flight? A lot of respect for sharing your story.

[@davinderc]

Check out the Cloudbase Mayhem podcast, it describes it in detail. This youtube video is advertising for the magazine.

[@dylannewton76]

How good are locals. Most would give you their house after saving your life. Glad you made it mate. We learn through our own failures.

[@jimmyconway8025]

That's crazy! So did you have a parachute?

[@EcoSpeeder]

You are special Ben Lewis. Your experience ticks all the boxes of the novice Shaman experience. You were chosen and tested by an Elemental Entity. Yours seems to be Air.

[@EcoSpeeder]

Congratulations

[@jahelation8658]

You have a second chance. Live it to the full. 👊

[@debbieclinard7122]

Thank you for sharing your story. Divine intervention kept you alive. Fall in love with Love and spread your light. Love you brother.