Paralympian Chris Waddell climbs Kilimanjaro

By Eric Williams

American paralympian Chris Waddell and his One-Revolution crew reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa today (Sep. 30). The 40-year-old, Massachusetts native climbed the 19,340-foot mountain’s Morangu Route in a custom-built, four-wheel handcycle. The vehicle is driven entirely by Waddell’s arms and is capable of taking on foot-high boulders.
 
“Chris is the first paraplegic to summit Kili, unassisted!” read a One-Revolution blog entry dated Sept. 30. “This is wonderful news and we are so very excited. Today is a very, good day!”

While a member of the Middlebury Collage Ski Team Waddell, was paralyzed from the waist down after a skiing accident at age 20. He then took up the monoski and went on to revolutionize the sport.

“Hardest man I have ever seen. Makes John Wayne look like a pansy,” said one fellow hiker according to the blog.

In a January interview Waddell told Ski Racing the effort to climb Africa’s highest peak was designed to “break down barriers and promote his mission to dispel stereotypes about people with disabilities.”

“This is a tough mountain and I’m pretty sure that every day I will tell you that it was the toughest day,” Waddell wrote after his first day on the trail. The climb took Waddell, a documentary film crew and several porters five days to complete.
 
Waddell’s competitive accomplishments include 12 Winter Paralympic medals, nine World Championship medals and a Summer Paralymic sliver medal won at the Sydney, Australia Games. Waddell retired from the World Cup in 2002.   

Image: Chris Waddell pedals his way up Kilimanjaro (Mike Stoner)