Hearing about the exploits of people who have faced adversity and overcome obstacles with courage and resilience always lifts my spirits. Last month, adaptive adventurer and former professional rugby player Ed Jackson successfully completed the first recorded ascent of an unclimbed 4720m peak in the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan.
Jackson and his team reached the summit on 23 August and he is believed to be the first climber with a disability to make the first ascent of a high altitude mountain. The achievement marks a milestone in adaptive adventure as Jackson continues to defy the odds after a life-changing spinal cord injury.
Jackson is a former rugby union professional and lifelong outdoor enthusiast. In an accident in 2017, he fractured multiple vertebrae in his spine and doctors warned him that he might never walk again.
He has since confounded the experts and found a way to return to the mountains, working closely with British outdoor brand BERGHAUS which modifies kit to help him climb.
The expedition to Kyrgyzstan had been in planning for over two years and saw Jackson and his small team establish a remote advanced base camp with the support of local nomadic shepherds.
They were then able to tackle the technical ascent across glacial terrain, steep ice and a rocky section to the summit. The successful climb adds to Jackson’s reputation for redefining what’s possible in the world of adventure and resilience.
Reflecting on the climb, he said, “I’ve been working towards this for so long, and for it to finally come to fruition feels incredible. The climb was far more technical and demanding than I could ever have imagined, and it took absolutely everything to reach the top.
“There were moments when I doubted whether my body could do it but I wasn’t climbing alone. I felt the strength of everyone who has carried me to this point. This summit isn’t just mine, it belongs to all of them too.”
Jackson, who founded the MILLIMETRES TO MOUNTAINS FOUNDATION (M2M) to support people facing adversity through outdoor challenges, dedicated the climb to the beneficiaries of the charity and the local Kyrgyz children’s organisation CDI Children at Risk. The mountain’s name will not be chosen by the team themselves, but rather by the children supported by the CDI programme in Bishkek.
Jackson added, “Climbing this peak was never just about standing on the summit. It was about carrying with me all the people who can’t be here, and giving something back in the process. The fact that the children we’re supporting in Kyrgyzstan will get to name this mountain only seems right to me.”
The expedition was led by Adrian Nelhams, a highly respected mountaineer and guide, whose mentorship Jackson credits as the reason that the ascent was possible.
Sponsors and partners included Berghaus, Petzl, Grangers, Inigo Insurance, Texel Group, Airolo, LEKI and ISM, whose support helped make the expedition possible.
The climb has also raised funds for M2M’s projects in the UK and CDI’s work with children with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan; donations can be made online HERE.
Photo credits: Toby Roney
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