Career Pinnacle for Inglis

NZ mountaineer Mark Inglis has made history by being the first double amputee to reach the summit of Mt Everest. Inglis lost both legs to frostbite in 1982 while trapped in blizzard conditions on Mt Cook. Inglis’ achievement has been clouded by the fact that he and 4 other climbers passed dying Briton David Sharp on their way to the summit. “He was in a very poor condition, near death,” says Inglis. “We talked about [what to do for him] quite a lot at the time and it was a very hard decision … no one else helped him apart from our expedition. Our Sherpas gave him oxygen.” While some climbers have supported Inglis’ decision others have expressed horror. The debate has brought the issue of commercialisation and overcrowding on Everest back into the spotlight. 11 people have died on the mountain so far this year. Inglis’ expedition is expected to raise several hundred thousand dollars for a Cambodian centre that provides rehabilitation for landmine amputees, polio victims and other disabled people.