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Paralympic ski champion Waddell summits Mount Kilimanjaro

Last Wednesday, 30th September, on a clear, crisp and beautiful morning, twelve-time Paralympic Alpine Skiing medalist Chris Waddell accomplished perhaps his most remarkable feat ever. The 41-year-old native of Park City, Utah (USA) successfully climbed his way to the summit of Africa's tallest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, becoming the first paraplegic to do so.

It was the culmination of a two-year plan to bring awareness to his One Revolution Foundation (www.one-revolution.com) and a grueling seven-day journey on a custom-designed four-wheel mountain bike.

"The days were long - generally about 9 hours," said Waddell during an interview on Tuesday from his hotel room in New York. "I'm kind of amazed looking back that I was able to endure what I did. I don't think I realized until I finished just how significant it was. I was crushed afterwards. I felt like I weighed 1000 pounds."

His team included expedition manager, Dave Penney, who helped design the unique handcycle, as well as six others from the United States. They were joined by 56 local porters and guides headed by an expedition leader named Seki.

"As I climbed the mountain I thought that I'm not doing this only for my own personal glory," said Waddell, "Hopefully, I'm using myself as a vehicle to ask for social change."

Waddell was a talented racer at Middlebury College, when a skiing accident left him paralyzed in 1988. He went on to compete in four Paralympic Games between 1992-2002, winning five gold medals, five silver and two bronze. "I felt like there was a lot of unfinished business for me as a paralympic athlete that I never got the chance to really make the impression that I wanted to make," he said. "And I hope that this affords me a greater platform to be able to make that impression and represent a group of people that are often forgotten in our society."

Contributed by Brian Pinelli

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