Eyevine Archiwum FL 057 Nov 2010

Paraplegic British Army Major, Phil Packer on day 3 of the ascent of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, USA on 9th June ? the mountain he is hauling himself up to raise awareness of disability sports for young people. He walked the London Marathon in 2 weeks and he's raised L1m for charity Help for Heroes, now Major Phil Packer is about to begin his next major challenge, climbing El Capitan ? an 1,800ft sheer rock face in Yosemite National Park, USA Major Phil Packer began the ascent of El Capitan at 06:00am (PT) / 14:00pm (GMT) on Sunday 6th June, alongside leading British climbers Andy Kirkpatrick (expedition leader), Paul Tattersall, Ian Parnell and Ben Pritchard. For paraplegic Phil, the ascent is the equivalent of 4,254 pull ups. Nights are spent hanging from the mountain on a portaledge attached to the rock wall and you can follow his progress online at www.philpacker.com Major Packer of the Royal Military Police was expected never to walk again after suffering a spinal injury whilst serving his country on operations in Iraq in February 2008. Major Packer captured the hearts and minds of millions of people in the UK and around the world when he started the London Marathon on crutches on 26th April, having taken his first unaided steps just 6 weeks earlier. Major Packer painstakingly covered just 2 miles/day and after 2 weeks, completed the 26.2mile marathon. From the original prognosis that he would not walk again, Major Packer has undertaken a number of challenges, including rowing across the English Channel (February), and now he has his sights set on his final big challenge ? hauling himself up El Capitan. Major Packer has already raised in excess of $1.6million (L1m) for charity Help for Heroes, which helps injured service men and women, and with this challenge he hopes to inspire young people with disabilities and raise awareness of disability sport in the wider disabled community. ? Ian Parnell / eyevine Contact eyevine for more informatio