Mount Manaslu
Legless man climbs 8000 meter mountain in the Himalayas
Ruslam Nabiev on the summit of Mount Manaslu
© Ruslam Nabiev / Instagram
Ruslam Nabiev had to have both legs amputated six years ago. But that doesn’t keep him from top performance: Now he has climbed an eight-thousand-meter mountain in the Himalaya Mountains.
Climbing an eight-thousander, i.e. a mountain 8000 meters or more, is a huge challenge for most people. Rustam Nabiev did it – without legs. The Russian reached the summit of Mount Manaslu, 8,163 meters high, in the Himalayan Mountains. Nabiev claims to have been the first person to climb an eight-thousander with the help of his hands.
Even the competent authorities in Nepal, who have certified the ascent, cannot confirm beyond doubt whether this is really true. Either way, Nabiev did an outstanding job. “I’ve opened a new page in the history of modern mountaineering,” he wrote on his Instagram page.
34 days to the summit of Mount Manaslu
There Nabiev kept his 1.3 million followers up to date about his project – also a great motivation for him, as he later reported: “It was my mission that I had to reach the summit for all the people who were watching. “
It took the 29-year-old 34 days to climb to the top of the eighth highest mountain in the world. Nabiev was out with two other Russian mountaineers and five experienced Sherpas. A mountain guide confirmed that he only needed help in a few very difficult places. “I have never seen someone with such a severe disability climb such a mountain,” said Jay Ram Upreti, a public official. “His performance is simply exceptional.”
Nabiev lost both legs in an accident
Last year, Nabiev had already climbed Elbrus in Russia, which is the highest mountain in Europe at 5642 meters. For the future, he has set himself further top achievements: In the future, he wants to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world with a height of more than 8,800 meters.
Nabiev had to have both legs amputated in 2015. The former Russian soldier was buried under the rubble when a barracks collapsed in the Siberian city of Omsk. 24 people died in the accident, Nabiev survived seriously injured. Despite his disability, he is very active in sports and plays, among other things, para-ice hockey. The athletes do not move on ice skates, but on small sleds across the ice.
Sources: Rustam Nabiev on Instagram / “Image” / ITV / “Russia Beyond”