Paraplegic Soldier Climbs El Cap

British soldier wounded in Iraq completes climb up Yosemite's El Capitan to raise money for other injured soldiers

Published June 18, 2009 03:21PM

4,254 pull ups: That’s what it took British soldier Major Phil Packer to get to the top of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park on June 11. While El Capitan is a tough feat for any climber, Packer had to do it without the use of legs, which he lost after a spinal injury from a rocket-propelled grenade in Basra, Iraq.

Now, after completing the climb (as well as a marathon and a swim across the English Channel), he’s also raised over £1 million for the charity Help 4 Heroes, which provides aid to soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Packer spent 4 days climbing the 1,800-foot granite face of El Cap. Check out this video report from British television:

—Ted Alvarez

Phil Packer via Climbing via Adventure Blog

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