Life in Motion - Elbrus

Dear friends,

Our Life in Motion - Elbrus 2017 mission has been accomplished with success! 16-year-old girl, Polina was an inspiration for 9 members of the team, as she climbed the mountain on her prosthetic leg. You can watch her amazing journey here. 

Why are we doing this, for the last 6 years – mt. Kilimanjaro, mt. Everest’s Base Camp and now Elbrus? We want to show again and again that all limitations are in our heads and with inside strength people can overcome their fears, push all boundaries and make the impossible - possible. Yes, even climbing the highest mountain on prosthetic legs!

This Elbrus trip was the most challenging of all. Snow, ice, 30 km per hour wind, cold nights with the temperature dropping to negative 25C. We had to walk very slowly, carefully making one step at a time on crampons even having to use a rope and ice-axe at some parts of the mountain.

Everyone had their own goal, reaching a personal peak, widening their own resources, maximizing  their own abilities. We worked together as a team, supporting each other with jokes and laughter -  great friends on the mountain.

After the trip our Polina said: “It is a common opinion that only physically strong people can climb mountains and I wanted to show that my physical challenges are not an obstacle. It was my first summit and I learned many important things - how to give and share, how to support, how to step outside of my comfort zone. I am a different person today.  I am proud of myself and I am looking forward to my future, new peaks in my life."

Will we do it again? Of course!

Thank you everyone who supported us during this 10 day expedition! Your encouraging words were a big part of our success. We truly “Stepped Up” together.

We want to thank our partners - Mitsubishi Corporation (Russia) for sponsoring our Life in Motion -Elbrus multimedia project and WHOA Travel for supporting Polina's hike! Your partnership  helped to make our mission successful.

I am happy to share some photos and TV stories - even if they are in Russian the video requires no comments. To watch them, please click here and here.

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Natasha Shaginian-Needham and the Life in Motion team.