A retired rugby star turned quadriplegic has made an unbelievable recovery from a broken neck to reach the peak of a previously unclimbed mountain in Asia.

Ed Jackson became the first person to successfully ascend the unnamed, 15,485-foot-high peak in the Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan on August 23rd.

The former professional rugby player for English teams Bath and Wasps was warned he may never walk again after diving into a shallow pool eight years ago and suffering a spinal cord injury.

But after years of rehab from a team of experts, his sights were set higher than a return to the rugby pitch—nothing less than a never-before-climbed peak amid the famous Central Asian range.

After arriving at the foot of the mountain, Ed and his team establish a remote base camp with the support of local shepherds, before tackling the technical ascent across glacial terrain, steep ice, and rock faces.

Jackson was predictably elated when he reached the summit.

“I’ve been working towards this for so long, and for it to finally come to fruition feels incredible,” he said, according to England’s Southwest News Service. “The climb was far more technical and demanding than I could ever have imagined, and it took absolutely everything to reach the top.”

“I felt the strength of everyone who has carried me to this point. This summit isn’t just mine, it belongs to all of them too,” he added.

The expedition was led by Adrian Nelhams, a highly respected mountaineer and guide who Jackson credits as the reason this “ascent was possible”.

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The climb marks a milestone not just in exploration but also in adaptive adventure as it is believed to be the first ever first ascent of a high-altitude peak by someone with a disability.

In the years leading up to the attempt, Jackson founded the Millimetres to Mountains Foundation (M2M) to support people facing adversity through outdoor challenges. He dedicated the climb to the beneficiaries of the charity, and to the local Kyrgyz children’s organization, CDI Children at Risk, who will have the honor of naming the mountain peak.

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Jackson is set to meet the children in the days following after the expedition.

“The fact that the children we’re supporting in Kyrgyzstan will get to name this mountain only seems right to me,” he said, considering how many people helped him reach the summit.

The climb has also raised funds for M2M’s projects in the UK and CDI’s work with children with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan. More information can be found on their website.

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