Mark Inglis Looks Back at the Top of the World

In Hyderabad, India to give a talk to the students of Woxsen School of Business, the first double amputee to climb Mt Everest, New Zealander Mark Inglis said the best decision he ever made was to not turn back when his oxygen mask broke. Inglis, 56, talks with Rahul Devulapalli, a senior reporter at the Hindu newspaper.

“I was a couple of hours away from the final point. I had a choice to go back but I decided to move forward and fulfil my dream,” Inglis says.

Devulapalli asks Inglis about the difficulties in acquiring the appropriate prosthetics needed for mountaineering.

“There is hardly any equipment available for double amputee athletes in the market. It took me and an engineer two years to make the right shoes and supporting equipment meant to be used for mountaineering. We have improvised ever since and developed a fourth model of it. I have also built separate equipment to help me in cycling and running.”

The newspaper asks: “From your life experiences of undertaking risky expeditions and conquering summits, what are the three traits that will equally benefit those who also want to climb up the ladder in the professional or personal life?”

“The most important one is visualisation. You need to visualise the successes and challenges that come your way. Know how to get around and find your way to the point you want to end up. Second most important quality is to have a positive attitude. It is everything. Look at the opportunities, identify them and make the most of it.”

Inglis won a silver medal in the 1km time trial event at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.

He lives in Hamner Springs.

Original article by Rahul Devulapalli, The Hindu, December 3, 2015.