In October 2022, an elite climbing team of ten amputees and ten non-amputee athletes climbed Cotopaxi, a 19,347-foot active volcano in Ecuador.
Among them was a three-time gold medalist Paralympian, a 17-year-old Ecuadorian athlete who'd lost his leg just four months earlier, the U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador, and UVM Exercise Science alumnus Zachary Klein ’19.
The climbers alternated slower-paced day hikes with high-altitude glacier climbs to prepare their bodies for low oxygen levels above 18,000 feet and included strategic rest days in their routine. Team prosthetists fabricated special crampons to help prosthetic feet grip the steep alpine ice. Lightning storms presented an additional threat for climbers using metal hiking poles and prostheses. The team aimed to promote awareness of the need for prosthetics in underserved communities worldwide.
An avid outdoorsman and disability-rights advocate, Klein began training injured military veterans to climb some of the tallest mountains in the world as an undergraduate working with The Heroes Project. The Los Angeles-based organization inspires participants to redefine their limits and find physical and mental purpose post-injury. Klein realized several athletes he knew from The Heroes Project were also involved with the Range of Motion Project (ROMP), a global non-profit dedicated to providing high-quality prosthetic care and follow-up services to amputees without access. He applied, and the rest is history: the 2022 ROMP team was the first on which every climber successfully summited Cotopaxi.
Reaching new heights is just part of the challenge for Klein and the team, who want to raise awareness of the need for improved prosthetic care worldwide.
"The annual climb symbolizes the incredible feats possible with access to proper prosthetic care," said Klein, noting that nine out of 10 amputees don’t have access to quality care.
"While insurance may cover a prosthesis that provides the ability to complete minimal necessary activities of daily living (ADLs), the devices aren’t sufficient to achieve true quality of life - such as being self-confident in the roles of parent, student, or athlete," said Klein.
The Range of Motion Project promotes the annual Climbing for ROMP event to commemorate the anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and promote the belief that broken systems and inadequate access cause disability.
“When an amputee isn’t afforded the straight-forward solution of a quality prosthetic limb, they’re prone to developing secondary health conditions over their lifetime,” said Klein. He emphasizes that exercise is an ADL equally as important as bathing.
“Quality custom prostheses allow for optimal participation in life’s daily activities - as amputees aren’t disabled by a missing limb, but by a missing prosthesis,” said Klein.
The team surpassed its $150,000 goal to fund prosthetic care and services for 100 ROMP patients in Ecuador and continues to accept contributions.
Zachary Klein ’19 recently led backpacking and climbing expeditions for inner-city Boston Public middle schoolers struggling with mental and behavioral health challenges as an instructor for Thompson Island Outward Bound. He’s completing a master’s degree in occupational therapy. He plans to continue his work in disability-rights advocacy and wilderness therapy to create an outdoor sports program for people with mental and physical health challenges.