Inclusion Daily Express -- Broken Leg Delivers Everest Climber A Temporary Setback

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Broken Leg Delivers Everest Climber A Temporary Setback
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
May 4, 2006

KATMANDU, NEPAL--Mountaineer Mark Inglis broke his right leg last week at about the 23,000-foot (7,000-meter) level of Mount Everest.

No worries, though: He simply pieced it back together with duct tape and some spare parts he had on hand.

The 47-year-old New Zealander expects that to hold until he has a new leg.

Inglis has his sights set on becoming the first double amputee to scale the 29,035-foot peak.

Inglis has been on the mountain for the last several weeks, getting accustomed to the elevation and harsh conditions. He plans to make his final climb to the summit sometime later this month.

Both of Inglis' legs were amputated below the knees in November 1982, after the mountain rescue guide was trapped for 14 days in an ice cave on New Zealand's tallest mountain. He now uses carbon-fiber prosthetic legs to walk and climb.

Ironically, he broke his leg while climbing a stationary ladder anchored to the mountain.

According to the online diary on his website, Inglis was back at the 21,300-foot Advanced Base Camp on Tuesday, preparing to move on to the next base camp.

Inglis is using his trek to raise funds to help people with disabilities in Cambodia.

If he gets to the top of Everest, Inglis will make it into the record books along with Tom Whittaker of Arizona, who became the first climber with one leg to make it to the summit in 1998; Erik Weihenmayer of Colorado, who was the first blind person to reach the peak in 2001; and Texan Gary Guller, who in 2003 became the first mountaineer with one arm to scale the world's tallest mountain.

Related:
"Climber snaps false leg on Everest" (The Age)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/06/red/0504b.htm
Legs on Everest - Mark Inglis' Quest For The Top
http://www.legsoneverest.com

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