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Unarmed for...Everest! Norwegian disabled polar skier takes on the tallest of them all

At the age of 12, Cato's life came to a halt. A high voltage accident stripped him of both his arms. He has since skied to the South Pole and climbed Cho Oyu. Image courtesy of Cato's homepage.

09:35 am EDT Aug 24, 2006
Next spring, Norwegian Cato Zahl Pedersen, 47, will try to scale Mount Everest from its south side. The first person without arms on the peak, he fears the icefall most. "Balancing the ladders over crevasses will obviously be a bit tricky. We are working on a set of alternative solutions'" he told Norwegian Nettavisen. However, Cato has been around before.

In 1994, he skied to the South Pole, together with Odd Harald Hauge and Lars Ebbesen. The guys went all the way from Berkner Island - and unsupported. In 2004, Cato learned climbing on rope. Last year, he summited Cho Oyu - "unarmed." Odd Harald Hauge will join Cato also on Everest.

History of the Everest underdogs

May 25, 2001 history was made when blind climber Erik Weihenmayer stood on the top of Mount Everest. The team was led by Pasquale Scaturro and included a number of all star Everest climbers (Eric Alexander, Sherman Bull and his son Brad, Luis Benitez, Mike Brown, Jeff Evans, Steve Gipe, Didrik Johnck, Charlie Mace, Chris Morris, Mike O'Donnell.) Mike Brown of Serac Adventure Films carried the first High definition cam to the summit and later produced the ‘Farther than the Eye Can See’ film about the expedition. Brown has since led and documented other disabled climbers, such as heart-transplant survivor Kelly Perkins, on various climbs around the world.

In 2003, Texan Gary Guller became the first person with one arm to summit Everest as part of his Team Everest '03 expedition. He led the largest cross-disability group to ever reach base camp, and everyone of the members made it. He then carried their message to the highest point on earth.

A motorcycle wreck in summer 2000 left Nawang Sherpa, an aspiring high-altitude guide in Nepal, a trans-tibial amputee. He got a new "climbing leg" in 2002 thanks to the High Exposure foundation, a non-profit launched by Ed Hommer, who lost his own legs on Denali and hoped to scale Everest one day together with Nawang. Ed's own Everest dream however ended in tragedy a few months later when a rock struck and killed him on Mount Rainier Sep 23, 2003.

In 2004 Tom McMillan, a California climber, stepped in to make Nawang's dream to scale Mount Everest a reality. On May 16 2004, the Friendship Beyond Borders expedition accomplished its goal when Nawang Sherpa reached the summit of Mt. Everest. Nawang was the first trans-tibial amputee to ever climb an 8000 meter peak. Nawang Sherpa was awarded with a special mention at ExplorersWeb’s Awards for the best climbs of the year 2004.

The 2006 stories

Two years after summiting Everest, Nawang Sherpa had to abort an attempt on Cho Oyu this spring. The Friendship without Borders expedition reported serious problems with their Chinese cooks as well as their supplies. The local trekking company they had hired came with cheap, broken tents, and “dangerous, maniac-like cooks” - the Sherpas were threatened with knives when they tried to enter the kitchen and prepare their own meals.

May 15, 2006 New Zealander Mark Inglis reached the summit of Mt Everest, 23 years after the mountain rescuer got stuck high on Mount Cook and both his legs had to be amputated due to frostbite. Mark's Everest summit was somewhat shadowed by the death of a fellow climber, who perished while the summiteers climbed past him.

Also this year, on Everest north side, disabled climber Pepe Blanco was forced to call off his attempt due to problems with his feet. Pepe reached the North Col feeling strong and motivated, but had to turn back at 7100m. The special boots he used were not adequate for the climb on Everest. Pepe was 65% physically disabled after a paragliding accident.

Finally on Everest this spring, sight-impaired Thomas Weber climbed on the north side guided by Dutch mountaineer and Calif resident Harry Kikstra. Thomas had a rare eye disease: His vision deteriorated at altitude after the removal of a brain tumor. The guide was criticized by fellow climbers after Thomas died on the peak following extended signs of AMS.

Norwegian Cato Zahl Pedersen and his team will climb the south col route and say they have hired experienced guides for their uppcoming attempt.

(Story edited 04:37 pm EDT Aug 24, 2006 with the addition of Gary Guller's climb in 2003.)

At the age of 12, Cato's life came to a halt. A high voltage accident stripped him of both his arms. That's a major disaster, more so to a little guy dreaming of big adventures. Cato's destiny became to prove that the farthest corners of our world are not exclusive to the super fit.

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