In 2015, Rustam Nabiev’s life changed in an instant. At the time, he was a Russian paratrooper, going about his day in the barracks… when there was a sudden collapse.
Although he would make it out alive, Rustam lost both of his legs that day. Now, he’s a double amputee who is more active than ever.
Just five years after losing both of his legs, Rustam set out to accomplish a lofty goal: Climb Russia’s tallest peak, Mount Elbrus. Scaling a whopping 18,510 feet, he was able to prove that not having legs wasn’t going to hold him back in life.
This feat alone was impressive enough, but then Rustam decided to take on a new challenge: Mount Manaslu in Nepal.
With 26,781 feet to climb, Rustam had quite the challenge ahead. Not only is this mountain considered to be the 8th tallest in the world, it’s also a part of the Himalayas which has been nicknamed by locals as “killer mountain.”
But Rustam didn’t take on the challenge alone. With the help of Sherpas, natives to the Nepal region, this courageous group set off on their journey on August 29, 2021.
Along the path they took, they faced numerous challenges, including dangerous vertical slopes. But with each obstacle they faced, Rustam found a way to keep moving forward.
“With this act I wanted to show that anything in this life can be accomplished only through action,” Rustam said. “It was like a mission that I had to finish for all those people who were watching me.”
As difficult as the trek was, he was never alone. Not only because he had companions by his side, but because his family was with him in spirit. When they would rest in their tents, Rustam would adorn the inside of his with pictures of loved ones.
Finally, after 34 long days, Rustam and his team finally made their triumphant arrival to the peak of the mountain! Although his body felt beat-up from all of that he had gone through, he couldn’t have felt better.
Rustam Nabiev, a Russian paraclimber with two amputated legs, successfully scaled the 26,781-foot-tall Mount Manaslu in Nepal — becoming the first person in the world to scale the mountain without legs. pic.twitter.com/I7NYNN8c7x
– CBS News (@CBSNews) October 8, 2021
​​”I thought a great deal about what I’ve accomplished and I realized that I did something unbelievable,” he said. “Deep inside I can’t even believe it.”
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