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“The First Paraplegic to Summit Kilimanjaro”
Background: Chris Waddell was promising young skier at Middlebury College in 1989 when a skiing accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Determined to get back on the slopes, he began skiing on a monoski roughly one year after his accident. A little more than two years later, Waddell was named to the US Disabled Ski Team.
Waddell went on to become the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history, winning 13 medals over four games, and spending a total of 11 years on the US Disabled Ski Team.
In addition to his work with the Paralympics and the International Paralympic Committee, Waddell has found success as a motivational speaker. Waddell speaks to the resilience of the human condition, with topics ranging from leadership to adversity to quality of life.
Waddell has been featured in numerous publications, including Outside Magazine, Skiing, Ski, National Geographic Explorer, and People Magazine who named him one of “The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.” He has also appeared on Dateline and Oprah.
The Expedition: At 19,340 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. Waddell will attempt the first paraplegic summit of Kilimanjaro in August of 2009 with a team of experienced colleagues and a camera crew dedicated to documenting the historic climb.
Although Kilimanjaro is considered a “walkable” mountain, typical features such as logs and large rocks prove threatening obstacles for Waddell’s journey the summit.
The Gear: Waddell will be using a one-of-a-kind 4-wheel vehicle to climb Kilimanjaro. The special 4-wheel handcycle for paraplegics steers 2 ways, via traditional hand bars and through a special pedal that sits under the chest. All four wheels articulate as much as 13 inches, allowing the one-off to roll over large objects.
The Motto: One Revolution
One revolution of the handcrank: how Chris will climb Kilimanjaro
One small revolution: how Chris hopes to change society's perception of the disabled community
One revolution of the globe: how Chris sees steady, fundamental change
One revolution is as simple as it gets
Why: Waddell has dedicated his life to defying the conventional wisdom of what a paraplegic can and cannot do. Through his work with the Paralympics, Waddell has proven that being a “para” doesn’t mean living a disabled life. Waddell’s athletic abilities garnered international attention and have helped to change the way disabled individuals are viewed.
The decision to summit Kilimanjaro, a first for a paraplegic, is intended to “shine the light back on the disabled – to show that if you take the time to look, you might be surprised.” Waddell hopes that his incredible climb will challenge people to think differently and see the world differently. “I hope my climb will make us see some of the 50+ million disabled people in the world in a whole new way,” says Waddell.
The climb will be for-profit to dissuade the image that disability means charity. “There’s a longstanding historical precedent that is not always valid,” says Waddell. “This climb and the documentary will help prove that people with disabilities can provide an economic value.”
Email: Chrisjwaddell@aol.com | 
