KATHMANDU: Former Russian paratrooper Rustam Nabiev made mountaineering history on May 20, becoming the first person in the history of alpinism to summit Mount Everest (8,848.86m) using only his arms, without the use of his legs.

Nabiev, who lost both legs in 2015 when a barracks collapsed, reached the summit at 8:16am Nepal Time. He announced the achievement on social media, dedicating the climb to everyone following his journey. "While there is life in you — fight! Fight to the end, please! It is worth it," he wrote.

The summit is the centrepiece of an extraordinary spring season for Nabiev, who had earlier warmed up with a successful ascent of Mera Peak (6,470m) on April 22, guided by Ram Kaji Shrestha, before committing to the Everest attempt with Seven Summits Club, with logistics coordinated by Seven Summit Adventure, whose Managing Director Mingma Gelu Sherpa had confirmed the Everest bid in April.

Nabiev's high-altitude record is already among the most remarkable in adaptive mountaineering. In October 2021, he became the first double amputee to summit Manaslu (8,163m), reaching the top alongside five Sherpa guides from Imagine Nepal Treks. He had previously climbed Mount Elbrus and survived two clinical deaths following his accident.

His Everest summit places him alongside Hari Budha Magar, the Nepali-British veteran who became the first above-the-knee double amputee to summit Everest in 2023, in a rare cohort of limb-loss climbers who have stood on the world's highest point.