Wednesday 21 February 2007

Paragliding


Did you hear about this story: German woman, Ewa Wisnierska, in Australia for the world paragliding champisonships, got sucked up 10 000 metres in a storm system . . . and survived. That's higher than Mount Everest! [Unfortunately a Chinese man also captured by the storm cloud, He Zhongpin, was not so fortunate and died of a lightning strike].
The home of paragliding and hangliding in Australia is Bald Hill, at Stanwell Tops, the lookout where I took the photo 2a few days ago. There were no paragliders there on Sunday - probably all at the championships. But this relief mural adorns the toilet block! It's all I can post as a tribute to Ewa and Zhongpin.
When they are gliding, its great to sit and watch. And that I'll show tomorrow!

9 comments:

  1. Interesting and so happy she lived. Great photo!

    I look forward to tomorrow's!

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  2. Yes, I have read this amazing story! It make me think to another one: many years ago, in the French Alps, a woman wanted to try hang-glider (deltaplane, in french). She paid a man whose job was to take away customers with him. But this man was not very professional: he fastened the woman but forgot his own belt. When the hang-glider took off, the woman went away alone, the man stayed on the snow...With the wind, she went up very high above the valley before falling down and being seriously injuried. She was alive but I can imagine her nightmare.

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  3. Wow, what an amazing stories, yours and Alice's one!
    I'm surprised about all the injuries a body can tolerate...
    have you tried paragliding sometime? I would love to experience how it would be to fly as a bird!

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  4. Yes, those are amazing stories. I am not one to take a hang glider trio.

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  5. Alice - that's quite a story! I am always amazed at the human capacity for survival. But I'm with abraham - I am not one for paragliding or hang gliding (or parachuting)...too chicken!

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  6. Nice to see the two topical pics.

    Greetings from http://richmonduponthamesdailyphoto.blogspot.com/

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  7. je ne connaissais pas cette histoire, merci de me l'avoir fait decouverte.
    La sculpture est tres belle.



    I did not know this history, thank you to have done it to me discovered. The sculpture is very beautiful.

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  8. Wow! Just imagine though being in that cloud. If you have to go, not too bad.

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  9. Lovely mural hommage - even if it is on the toilet block ;-)))

    Interesting stories, I will keep my feet firmly on the ground!

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