Paralyzed Wheelchair User Climbs Mountain with 18 Person Sled Team

posted on Apr 25 by Admin in the Advocacy, Disability News, Fun, Interesting Links, Opinion and Discussion, Wheelchair Sports, Wheelchair Technology category

With the determination and drive of a superhero, Barry West and his 18 person team of assistants reached the summit of Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Britain on Sunday, April 10, 2011. In a total climb of 18 hours to ascend and descend, Barry and the volunteer assistants, aptly named Westy’s Warriors, took a 20 minute victory celebration at the peak of Ben Nevis after pushing, pulling, and carrying Barry in a self-made snow ready wheelchair prototype.

West and his Warriors are thought to be the first wheelchair user and team with a crew member having the level of disability Barry has to conquer the mountain in the snow. Barry refuses to stop there and already has his sights set on even greater accomplishments. Next on his list is to complete is the Three Peaks Challenge consisting of a climb of Snowdon, Wales, and Scafell. Ben Nevis in Britain was a warm up to the biggest challenge of Kilimanjaro, a 19,340 peak in South Africa next year.

Barry was paralyzed from the neck down in a car accident when he was just 19. Through assistance from organizations like the Back Up Trust which assists people with spinal cord injuries by helping them come to terms with their new life, West has accomplished skiing trips, repelling expeditions, scuba diving, and sky diving. West truly knows no limits.

West has turned his paralysis into a career by working as an instructor for multiple activities for power wheelchair users as part of the Back Up Trust organization that helped him reclaim his active life after the accident. In addition, Barry designs both business cards and  T-Shirts using a computer controlled by a mouth stick.

Barry has been training with his Warriors that act almost like a team of huskies for an Alaskan sled team. For the past two years, he and his team have been exploring the safest way to get Barry up and down a mountain safely. Ben Nevis was only the first of many explorations for the active West.

Source: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Wheelchairbound-Barry-and-his-amazing.6750114.jp?articlepage=1