Since losing his hands and feet to frostbite 17 years ago, Jamie Andrew has been busy pushing the boundaries of what he can achieve and inspiring others as a motivational speaker. On his latest challenge, the Cuillin Ridge, the tables were turned when Jamie’s team saved the life of a badly injured solo-climber.

JA: When I first lost my hands and feet, the rehab team were incredibly positive. I remember a consultant looking out at the Pentland Hills and saying: “You could be there as soon as this summer.” They never told me I wouldn’t be able to do anything. But I do remember someone saying: “Apart from the Cuillin Ridge! That would be a bit hard!” I always wanted to go back and prove that consultant wrong.

I was 29 and working in rope access when I lost my limbs. Luckily I had understanding bosses who could see potential. When I was disabled they made me Manager of Training, so it was like a promotion! I did that for a couple of years, then so many doors of opportunity were opening through my new life that I decided to quit my job, write a book, and I’ve been completing challenges and trying to inspire others to push their boundaries ever since.

My first challenge was getting back into the hills again, culminating in climbing Ben Nevis. When I stood on the highest point in the UK, I felt that the whole of my country was open to me again. Since then I’ve run marathons, completed an Iron Man triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and 26.2 mile marathon), climbed Kilimanjaro with a disabled team, and sailed across the North Sea with an amputee team, amongst other things.

Black Diamond poles are fixed in his prosthetic sockets. Photo: Al Matthewson.

The Cuillin Ridge is the greatest mountaineering journey in the UK: the jewel in the crown. It's 14km long with many peaks along the way, including 11 Munros, so it's a big day out, or two days out, for any climber or walker. It’s also absolutely stunning, like a Primordial landscape overlooking Rum, Eigg and Canna, with the Outer Hebrides beyond.

The weather in Scotland has been great recently, so a few friends and I headed up to Glen Brittle, set off at 8pm and bivvied on the first mountain. The normal route up that peak is the worst I know in the UK. Horrible loose rock, wet vegetation, scree, and an uncertain line, especially in partial darkness with fully-loaded packs! Luckily there was no rush to get going in the morning: it’s daylight most of the time there at the moment.

Walking on prosthetics is like walking on stilts. I’m very used to it, so you probably wouldn’t notice I was walking on them in the street, but on uneven ground it’s another matter! The ankles are carbon fibre flexible springs, which don’t give the push-back that ankles and toes do. You have to place your feet with extreme care and calculate exactly what will happen when you step forward every time.

A determined Jamie: "Every step is difficult." Photo: Al Matthewson.

With a pair of Black Diamond poles in my prosthetic arm sockets, I become more like a quadripedic than a quadriplegic! Having four ‘legs’ helps massively, but the sticks get in the way on steeper ground. I constantly have to make them longer or shorter or get rid of them altogether to use my bumps for scrambling, which results in a lot of faff.

I had to protect my stumps with socks, as the Cuillin's gabbro is the roughest rock in the UK. It can lacerate you in minutes! And if the crest is exposed with a drop either side, as it often is on the Cuillin, I can’t just walk so it becomes more of a crawl. Then there are pitches of rock climbing up to Severe, as well as abseiling and steeper bits where my friends had to lower me.

After bivvying just past the In Pinn we spotted our friend Andy on a peak ahead but, by the time we reached the pass between us, he had completely disappeared. Then we looked down and saw one guy standing up and another lying down on a scree slope below with belongings spread about. It looked odd so two of my friends went to investigate.

It was Andy tending to a climber who had fallen off soloing. Wearing a heavy pack, he’d hit a slab, bounced off a 30-metre vertical cliff and landed on the scree below. Miraculously the man was still conscious and could shout, or he wouldn’t have been found. 

The helicopter arrives. Photo: Chris Pasteur.

It was unsettling to be involved in a rescue operation, but it didn’t bring any bad memories flooding back. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since my accident. I’ve worked very hard to come to terms with it. I speak about it every week!

Mountaineering isn't about reaching the summit, it's about making it down again safely. We continued to a sensible descent as we weren’t going to make the end of the ridge that day, and we didn’t have time for another full day on the mountain, and we were all very happy with that. 

There’s no doubt I will go back and finish the Cuillin Ridge. I’m glad we had a really good experience and by chance were able to help someone out. The injured climber is out of high-dependency and has been moved to hospital in his home town. We wish him all the best.

READ: More about Jamie Andrew on his website.

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