KEY FACTS — MARK INGLIS AND MOUNT EVEREST
✅ Mark Inglis: New Zealand mountaineer, researcher, winemaker and disability advocate
✅ 1982: both legs amputated below the knee after 13 days trapped in a snow cave on Aoraki Mount Cook
✅ 2000: silver medal, 1km time trial, Sydney Paralympics
✅ 2002: first double amputee to climb Aoraki Mount Cook
✅ 2004: climbed Cho Oyu (8,201m) on his 45th birthday
✅ 15 May 2006: first double amputee to summit Everest after 40 days of climbing on prosthetic legs
✅ One prosthetic leg snapped in half at 6,400m.
Repaired with duct tape. Spare carried from base camp.
✅ Quote: “I never climbed the Himalayas when I had legs. I always meant to. I now have time.”
✅ Quote: “My next Everest is changing people’s perceptions of disability.”
✅ Kinship Uniting Services: registered NDIS provider NDIS ID: 4-GWVHCEY | 0437 733 744
Mark Inglis was a mountain rescue guide when he and fellow climber Phil Doole had both legs amputated below the knee after suffering frostbite in 1982 when trapped in an ice cave for 13 days on Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak. NBC News
He was 22 years old.
Most people would have understood if the mountains were finished for him after that. Most people would not have said a word if Mark Inglis had rebuilt a quiet life somewhere far from snow, and far from the thing that had taken his legs.
He did not do that.
What He Did Instead
Mark Inglis holds a degree in human biochemistry from Lincoln University and has conducted research on leukaemia. He became a winemaker. A scientist. A cyclist. Wikipedia
As a double leg amputee, he won a silver medal in the 1km time trial event at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney. Wikipedia
In 2002 he became the first double amputee to climb Mount Cook. Then, four years later, he set his sights on something larger. Paralympics
“Having climbed Mount Cook I knew I could climb Everest too. But I knew I couldn’t just climb Everest. I would need to scale another 8,000m peak first.” He climbed Cho Oyu on his 45th birthday in 2004 and looked out over Everest. “I knew it was doable. It was just like my Paralympic journey in that I ticked off lots of smaller goals en route to the big goal.” Paralympics
15 May 2006
On May 15, 2006, after a 40-day ascent, Inglis became the first ever double amputee to reach the summit of Mount Everest. While acclimatizing at 6,400 metres, a fixed-line anchor gave way causing him to fall and break one of his carbon fibre prosthetic legs in half. A temporary repair was made using duct tape until a spare leg could be brought up from base camp. Hayden Rue
He stood on the highest point on Earth.
On prosthetic legs. One of which had been repaired with duct tape.
He said: “I’ve never climbed the Himalayas when I had legs. I always meant to. Never had time. I now have time, which is why I climbed Cho Oyu in 2004 and came back for Everest this year.” Reuters
The Reframe — He Never Had Limits. He Had a Timeline.
The common story told about people like Mark Inglis is one of overcoming. He overcame his disability. He proved the doubters wrong. He showed what is possible despite his condition.
That framing, while well-intentioned, misses what Mark himself seems to be saying.
He did not climb Everest despite losing his legs. He climbed it when he finally had time. The amputation changed the timeline and the method. It did not change the destination.
This is the reframe. Not that disability does not matter. Not that loss is secretly a gift. But that the ceiling most people place on what is possible with disability is not a fact about the world. It is an assumption. And assumptions can be wrong.
Mark said his next Everest is changing people’s perceptions of disability. “People with a disability don’t know how much more they can do. They are often constrained by people giving them poorly informed advice. That is the next challenge and something I hope to try and change.” Paralympics
What This Means for the Families We Work With
At Kinship Uniting Services, we work with NDIS participants across Western Sydney every week. Some of them have been navigating disability for years. Some are newly diagnosed. Some are families who have just started a plan and are trying to understand what is possible.
What we hear, repeatedly, is that families have been given a picture of what their family member can and cannot achieve. Sometimes that picture comes from the healthcare system. Sometimes from providers. Sometimes from the planning process itself.
Mark Inglis fixed a snapped prosthetic with duct tape at 6,400 metres and kept climbing.
We are not saying every participant will climb Everest. We are saying the question of what is possible deserves to be asked properly, with real information, and without a ceiling placed on it before anyone has actually tried.
That is what good support looks like. Not just assistance with daily tasks. A genuine belief in what the person in front of you is capable of.
We serve NDIS participants and their families across Colebee, Blacktown, The Ponds, Marsden Park, Schofields, Quakers Hill, Kellyville, Rouse Hill, Stanhope Gardens, Riverstone, Windsor and all Sydney suburbs.
📞 0437 733 744
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Mark Inglis?
Mark Inglis is a New Zealand mountaineer, researcher, winemaker and motivational speaker. He lost both legs below the knee to frostbite in 1982 after being trapped in a snow cave on Aoraki Mount Cook for 13 days. He went on to win a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics and on 15 May 2006 became the first double amputee in history to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He is also the founder of Limbs4All, a charity providing prosthetics to people in developing countries.
How did Mark Inglis climb Everest with no legs?
Mark Inglis climbed Everest using custom-made carbon fibre prosthetic legs designed specifically for mountaineering. During the ascent, one leg snapped in half and was temporarily repaired with duct tape while a spare was brought up from base camp. The climb took 40 days in total.
What did Mark Inglis say about disability after climbing Everest?
After Everest, Mark Inglis said his next goal was changing what people believe is possible with disability. He stated that people with disability are often constrained not by their condition but by poorly informed advice about what they can and cannot do. He advocates for person-first language and for raising expectations of what people with disability can achieve.
How does Kinship Uniting Services support NDIS participants to achieve their goals?
Kinship Uniting Services is a registered NDIS provider in Colebee, Western Sydney. We support participants to achieve their individual goals through consistent, matched support workers who know the participant well and are genuinely invested in their progress. We start from what a participant wants to do, not from a preset idea of what is achievable. Call 0437 733 744 to talk about your specific goals and situation.
What is NDIS community participation funding and how does it support participant goals?
NDIS Community Participation funding (Category 4) supports participants to take part in social, recreational, civic and community activities outside the home. It can fund support workers who accompany participants to activities, events, training and community engagement. It is one of the most flexible NDIS funding categories and can directly support a participant’s personal and lifestyle goals.
Written by Aishah Shah
Care Coordinator, Kinship Uniting Services
Registered NDIS Provider, ID: 4-GWVHCEY | ABN: 91 677 788 475
Sources:
- Mark Inglis, Paralympics New Zealand profile
- Wikipedia, Mark Inglis
- Reuters Archive, Mark Inglis Everest interview, May 2006
- Paralympics New Zealand, Where Are They Now series
📞 0437 733 744
info@kinshipunitingservices.com
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