Amputee’s bravery of the highest order

THE mountains almost took his life when an expedition turned to tragedy 17 years ago.

But this was the moment Jamie Andrew laid the ghost to rest.

The experienced mountaineer lost his hands and feet to frostbite after being trapped in the French Alps for five nights. His climbing partner died beside him.

But the courageous Scot returned to the mountain range to scale one of the world’s most unforgiving peaks, becoming the first quadruple amputee to conquer the Matterhorn. He reached the summit of the 14,478ft mountain between Switzerland and Italy the day after his 47th birthday.

‘It’s been a long time in the making. It’s a huge relief apart from anything else,’ said Mr Andrew. ‘When you are on the top you are only halfway there, and getting down is often much more dangerous. We were only on the top for ten minutes. We celebrated, took some photos and headed back down.’

Mr Andrew, from Edinburgh, suffered his devastating injuries while climbing the north face of Les Droites, in the Mont Blanc massif in 1999. He and flatmate Jamie Fisher were descending when they became trapped on a ridge 15,000ft up in heavy snow, buffeted by 80mph winds.

Several attempts to airlift them to safety were frustrated by the worst weather in the area for ten years. Mr Andrew spent five nights at the mercy of the elements during which Mr Fisher died of exposure. His hands and feet were amputated several days later.

Working with a team of rehab specialists, Mr Andrew has learned to walk again, taken up skiing, run marathons and completed Ironman triathlons and last week returned to the Alps.

He said: ‘Jamie Fisher, had he survived, would have been doing exactly the same thing and I felt a responsibility to do it in his honour, too.’