Griff Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 I'm going to be out of climbing for a while. I recently lost my lower left leg due to an accident. It was amputated through the knee, so I have my femur, but nothing below that. Of course, this is not something I investigated before a month ago, but now I'm wondering if anyone knows of any climbers who have a prosthetic leg. I have heard of a few, but most have their knees. Since I will have an artificial knee, that is a big difference. Any help would be appreciated. In the meantime, have a stout for me ; the meds I'm on won't let me. They don't even make me feel good they just... Quote
W Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 Griff, There's a guy named Ed Hommer who climbed Denali a few years back, and tried Everest this year. He lost both his lower legs (not sure if he has his knees- I think he may) after crashing a plane in the Alaska Range in December 1981 and got horrible frostbite. Anyway, you might call the Denali Park Service and find out how you might get hold of Mr. Hommer. (907) 733-2231. There are two local climbers in Talkeetna named Brian McCullough and Karl Swanson who helped him on the Denali and Everest climbs and on another attempt they made on the Moose's Tooth. They would definitely know how to contact him. Hommer is an American Eagle pilot and lives in Minnesota...he has these super high tech prosthetic legs that got designed for him by NASA from carbon fiber- in any case I am sure he would have some helpful info for you on the best prosthetic options for you as well as information and inspiration for getting you back up in the mountains. Best of luck to you and keep at it! Quote
ivan Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 sucks...you seem awfully chipper...i think i would'va killed somebody already i don't know the guy's name, but national geographic tv featured him within the past two years...he lost a leg to frostbite (right at the knee, i think) on mt. washington (his buddy didn't make it)...at any rate, he's designed a climbing prosthetic which he used to climb el cap (i think)... a little more investigation through national geographic oughta get the rest of the details good luck dude...you sound like a better man than me Quote
freeclimb9 Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 Hugh Herr comes to mind as an example of an amputee climber. The critical difference, though, is that he lost both legs BELOW the knee. For an above-the-knee amputee climber, I understand the tougher part of mountaineering to be going down, but there are sophisticated prosthetics being improved to address this. Contact Dr. Hugh Herr directly for an assessment of what is currently technologically possible. His contact information is on his Curriculum Vitae: http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/hherr/cv.html I'm sorry for your loss. Godspeed on your rehab. Quote
Elvis Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 Hugh Herr lost both legs in a climing accident on NH's Mt. Washington years ago. He now works with and designs artificial legs. See this site. www.ai.mit.edu/people/hherr/hherr.html I've also seen him lead 5.9 at the gunks with his "new" legs. Good luck. Quote
Bug Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 There is a prosthetic developement company on North Capitol Hill. They are hot. Don't commit to anything until you have talked to them. I took one guy with a prosthetic up Princely Ambitions for a video shoot. He did great and it was his first attempt at climbing. It was a normal walking prosthetic too. With a specialized climbing setup you will be back out there in fine form. Hang in there! Quote
Elvis Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 See this link for inspiration http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1814399383 Quote
Craftmatic Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 I think that there is a local organization for disabled climbers. Can't seem to find the name. I know that there are national orgs. as well, and that you might be able to contact people in these to see what adaptive equipment you can use as a climber with an above the knee amputation. Here are two good starter sites. I'll let you know if I can find any contact on the local group. http://www.nscd.org/media/presskit.html http://www.amputee-online.com/amputee/sportrec.html#climbing http://www.nolimitstahoe.com/ You may also want to check out the local adaptive ski programs. I've found that there is lots of cross over between all the outdoor sports. Try: http://www.skiforall.org/ Hope that you are out, getting after it again soon. Quote
todd Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 yeah, id contact hugh herr if i were you. one of my partners and best friends was born with only half of his right arm, and he contacted hugh about prosthetics. hugh was psyched and extremely helpful, so dont be shy about contacting him. also, if you would like to contact my friend about prosthetics or his experiences, email me and ill try to put you in touch with him - best of luck! Quote
michaeljosephnozel Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 About two years ago, I saw a guy with a prosthetic leg doing trad leads in the Lower Gorge at Smith. Not sure whether it was above, or below, the knee, but I recall that he changed out his "walking foot" for a "climbing foot." And let me tell you, he was climbing well. Leading 10a and 10b--which is no pushover on Smith's columnar basalt. Best of luck to you! Your positive attitude will take you far . . . and high! Quote
Tanked Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 A few years ago I ran into a fella (actually he rapped by an anchor I was on) at Index. Had a rock shoe on one foot and a tennis shoe on his prosthetic. He didn't stop to talk cause he was cruising routes all day. Keep your chin up. You'll climb again. Quote
Travis Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 While in New Zealand over Xmas, there was the first ever double amputee to climb Mt Cook. I'm not certain, but pretty sure he lost his legs above the knee. Here's a link to a feature, probably find more on him if you look around. (maybe even his email address) http://onenews.nzoom.com/news_detail/0,1227,75523-1-5,00.html Quote
Jedi Posted March 25, 2002 Posted March 25, 2002 Glad to hear you have the drive to get back out there. Nothing is impossible until it is tried. Jedi Quote
Griff Posted March 26, 2002 Author Posted March 26, 2002 Thank you all for your help and encouragement. It is obviously a big loss for me, but I believe God has been very gracious to me. If you all knew what happened with the accident, you would be amazed that the only real injury I received was massive trauma to my lower leg. When I think of what could have happened (brain injury is a big one), I cannot feel sorry for myself. I am looking forward to the future and how I am going to overcome this loss. Keep the ideas coming! Griff [ 03-26-2002: Message edited by: Griff ] Quote
Ade Posted March 26, 2002 Posted March 26, 2002 A guy a knew back in England Norman Croucher climbed Cho Oyu. He lost both his legs below the knee when he was 18. His book is well worth a read. He actually started climbing after his accident. He's very funny when you get to talk to him too... Tells this hilarious story about being in a hut in the French Alps where you had to take your boots off at the door. Of course his had frozen onto his artificial feet. So he was sitting in the doorway of this hut grunting and muttering to himself while trying to lever his boots off using his ice axe! Of course everyone else coming into the hut was just staring at him. I also met another guy who'd lost his leg below the knee in a climbing accident and still climbed at least 10a/b. So... it is possible. Both these guys climb a lot harder than many people I know, myself included. Norman personally kicked my arse on the approach to a hut in Ecuador year back and then drank us under the table for good measure. Ade Quote
Craftmatic Posted March 26, 2002 Posted March 26, 2002 Hey Griff, I was able to track down another outdoor organization worth checking out: Disabled Sports USA http://www.dsusafw.org/ Also, here is an article on Pete Rieke (1st paraplegic to climb Rainier). It's a completely different ability set, but the article is good in that it walks you through his psychological reaction to his accident and shows how transformative determination and optimism can be. http://www.msnbc.com/news/536609.asp?cp1=1 More widely, here is a link page of resources regarding disability and rehab: http://www.craighospital.org/J_sitesOfInterest.html And you may want to check out the Mike Utley page Again, Mike is up against paralysis, but hearing him talk makes anyone want to push through their own personal challenges. He's also down to earth enough that you may think about writing him. http://www.MikeUtley.org/ Great Attitude, keep us posted. Quote
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