Chinese paraglider pilot takes on Qomolangma

Paraglider pilot Li Shengtao set a Chinese altitude record on Mount Qomolangma (Everest) on May 18.

Taking off in an unpowered one-man paraglider, Li sailed from an altitude of 8,000 meters on the shoulder of Qomolangma to a landing spot in a designated area at an altitude of 5,400 meters on the southern slope. The journey took 20 minutes.

It was the first paragliding effort to be approved by the government of Nepal on the southern slope this year and the first time for an Asian pilot to fly from such a height.

Li, who is from Gansu province, has spent the last 10 years in the Tibet autonomous region. He is a mountain climber who later took up paragliding.

As a paragliding coach, Li, 38, has conducted activities on many snow-capped mountains in the region before making the decision to fly on world's highest mountain.

"I am the first Chinese to paraglide on Qomolangma. Nobody could share any experience about it, so I had to learn for myself," he said. "I could only cross the river by feeling the stones, and I encountered various difficulties and twists."

Li said he also experienced financial difficulties in the early stages leading to his attempt on Qomolangma. He also needed to obtain a paragliding flight permit from Nepal before the expedition, and he had to climb the mountain before gliding down.

"We were challenged by the high altitude, the changeable weather and the support teams," Li said, adding that he had to overcome every difficulty bit by bit together with his team.

"Qomolangma is not the only goal," he said. "I will seek to fly over more mountains in the future."