Get yourself a team that gets you to the top

Since he became a tetraplegic, the team that surrounds Rob Camm has broadened to include family, friends and carers. With the help of his extended network, and his Magic Mobility Extreme X8, Rob has regularly completed the infamous hard-core obstacle race Tough Mudder. But more recently he has taken the challenge of climbing Mt Snowdon in the UK head on.

Rob knows that it takes a team of people to help him be the best he can be, and he knows it’s important to value his extended network.

Before his accident in 2013, he was a keen rugby player and active outdoorsman. Rob has been in a Magic Mobility chair since 2014.

Mt Snowdon is the highest mountain in England and Wales, standing at 1085 metres, and is an exhilarating challenge for walkers and wheelchair users alike. The Snowdon Push is a fundraising challenge where one member of each team must be a manual wheelchair user. This means pushing, pulling, climbing and wheeling as a team to reach the summit and back down again, covering approximately eight miles of steep, mixed surfaced terrain. After seeing the impressive actions of the manual wheelchair users, Rob decided to tackle the mountain in his Extreme X8.

Rob says that successfully overcoming seemingly impossible tasks such as this one requires a well-oiled and trusted team.

“The team was made up of friends and family,” he said. “We did various training days before the event so that everyone could get used to helping out and seeing what was needed. On the day people were carrying medical equipment and using straps to help pull, as well as placing ramps.”

After completing numerous marathons and other physical challenges such as helping to clear trees at home and spending time at the beach and in the snow, Rob felt he had the required fitness to get him to the top of Mt Snowdon. He carried with him an extra set of batteries on a trailer and modified his chair with handles on the backrest and front of the chair providing easy places for others to push and pull. He also added a mirror to his chair so he could more precisely see where his front wheels were pointing.

“I knew that others had been up Mt Snowdon in an Extreme X8 before,” explained Rob. “But they didn’t do it with chin control.

“I had a fantastic sense of achievement and a really great day doing it.”

Rob’s Extreme X8 well and truly met the Mt Snowdon challenge, proving robust enough to tackle the changes in terrain throughout the different obstacles.

“The four-wheel drive of the Extreme X8 is invaluable,” said Rob. “When one or two wheels are off the ground, I am still able to drive. But I also have fine control – allowing me to drive up and down ramps and navigate narrow gateways and sections of the path.”

“This chair is powerful, impressive and life-changing,” he said.

Are you interested in finding out more about the Extreme X8 or other all terrain powerchairs? Contact us to find a dealer in your area.