Paralympian Sam Tait has successfully become the first paraplegic to climb Mount Kosciuszko in the NSW Snowy Mountains, self-powered and without mechanical assistance.
The 29-year-old conquered Australia's highest mountain last month, accompanied by a team of six people consisting of some of his closest friends who hiked alongside him to help carry his gear and skis.
It took the athlete seven hours to ascend the 16-kilometre route and reach the summit.
"I can't say I'll be doing it again anytime soon," he said.
"I think it's taken me a good three weeks to fully recover."
Tait became at paraplegic in 2013 following a motorcycle accident in Wollongong.
As an experienced skier, he transitioned to sit-skiing following the incident.
His decision to climb Mt Kosciuszko served as a test to his willpower.
"Mentally I could push myself and do what I want to do," he said.
"Physically, it was a challenge for me to do something different and see how far I could go."
Pushing the limits
Tait's team kept assistance along the climb to a minimum where they could, which included leveling the snow and shovelling paths to allow the athlete to cross-country ski and hand-cycle.
The final 1.5-kilometre stretch of the ascent was the steepest and the hardest for Tait, which required him to pull himself uphill using support from anchored ropes and at times walking using his arms while his legs were carried by a crew member.
"That last bit seemed to drag on for hours," he said.
"We were doing 20 metres at a time. I felt like I wasn't going anywhere."
There were moments where Tait said he doubted his ability to reach the summit.
"There was a time I was thinking 'have we bit off more than we can chew?'" he said.
"My body was in all sorts of pain … but we had come this far, we're not going to give up now. We just pushed through."
Tate debuted at the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games, competing in five events including the downhill race and giant slalom.
He is currently training in Perisher to qualify for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics.
.jpg?w=600)
