A 55-year-old Chinese paraglider has shared his extraordinary survival story after being unexpectedly lifted by a powerful updraft into the upper atmosphere during a flight over the Qilian Mountains – reaching an altitude of almost 8600m without oxygen, and narrowly escaping death.

Peng Yujiang, a certified B-level paraglider, was conducting a routine equipment test at a training site about 3000m above sea level in northwest China's Gansu Province.

"I had just bought a second-hand paragliding harness and wanted to test it," Peng said.

“So I was conducting ground parachute shaking. After a while, the wind suddenly picked up and lifted me into the air. I tried to land as soon as possible, but I failed.”

What started as a calm session quickly turned dangerous when a sudden surge of wind pulled him into rapidly forming cumulonimbus clouds. Despite trying to descend, he became trapped in the cloud system.

"I found myself surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds and trapped inside,” he said. 

“It was terrifying – everything around me was white. 

“Without the compass, I wouldn't have known which direction I was heading. I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning. Eventually, I managed to fly out toward the northeast.”

Experts said Peng encountered a rare and dangerous phenomenon known as "cloud suck" – a condition where strong convective updrafts carry paragliders to extreme altitudes. Experts explained that inside such clouds, temperatures can plummet to –40C and oxygen levels are severely low.

Peng Yujiang, 55, reached an altitude of 8598m while testing new equipment. – Reuters

Without an oxygen mask and with his face exposed, Peng endured freezing conditions as ice crystals formed on his face, body and equipment. His gloves were not fully zipped, leaving his hands numb and nearly frozen. Still, he managed to control his paraglider using his compass and radio communication with teammates.

"As soon as I came out of the clouds, I was very excited because I had survived,” he said. 

“The scariest moment was when I tried to pull out of the spiral and failed and when the canopy nosedived. It's still frightening to think about. I'm not sure about the future, but for now I definitely won't fly for a while.”

Looking back at his flight data, Peng was shocked to learn he had reached 8598m – far higher than he had realised mid-air. He suspects he may have briefly lost consciousness during descent.

Peng has been paragliding for four-and-a-half years and holds a B-level license – China's second tier in a five-level system, requiring at least 20 days of flight experience and a minimum of 40 individual flights.

The Gansu provincial aeronautical sports association issued a report, saying that ground parachute shaking does not require prior approval and that Peng's experience was entirely an unforeseen accident. However, Peng was still handed a six-month flight suspension, as the flight site and airspace had not been approved in advance.