Paralysed Climber Reaches Summit of Snowdon

TUESDAY, 29 MAY 2007

A paralysed British climber conquered Snowdon last Saturday despite his painful experienced less than a year ago. Twenty-five year old Michael Garton who is a chemical research and development officer reached to summit of the Welsh mountain and showed to the world his determination to climb again.

Garton was assisted by a team of 19 which includes friends from across the country and was pushed and pulled in his wheelchair, with the aid of ropes, for a gruelling 3½ hours to tackle the 3,560ft (1,085m) mountain. His helpers include a staff from the spinal injuries unit at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield and tackled the mountain with 11 other people in wheelchairs. The climb was organised by the Back-Up Trust, a national charity that supports people with spinal cord injury.

Garton who started climbing at age twelve was left paralysed after falling more than 120 feet off the Trollveggen, the Troll Wall, in July last year. A piece of rock gave way and he slipped lying helpless in an isolated ledge for ten hours with broken neck. Norwegian Air Force Sea King crew came to the area and mounted a rescue. Now with only ten months after the nerve wracking accident Mr. Garton conquered Snowdon.

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