Wheelchair adventurer plans second Yr Wyddfa attempt

Nick Wilson, from Towcester, spent 14 years in the Army before he suffered a spinal injury

A wheelchair adventurer said he would make a new bid to climb Yr Wyddfa, also known as Snowdon, unaided after coming "frustratingly close" in his first attempt.

Nick Wilson, from Towcester, Northamptonshire, spent 14 years in the Army before he suffered a spinal injury.

During his first attempt at the challenge, on 4 June, the steering on his specially engineered mobility chair snapped more than three quarters of the way into climbing the Welsh peak, which is 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level.

Mr Wilson said he was now plotting to try again next month "to show people it can be done".

He said the challenge aimed to raise greater awareness of accessibility issues faced by wheelchair users.

"We set out to show how inclusive design and engineering can make the world more accessible for everyone, everywhere," said Mr Wilson.

"I'm not ashamed to say [I cried] when the steering snapped. It was so frustratingly close. We know it can be done, we did over 85% unaided."

He said it would still have been possible to scale the mountain with help from his support team, but decided against continuing to try again and maintain the "integrity" of the challenge.

Mr Wilson films and publishes videos showcasing the difficulties he faces accessing day-to-day activities

Mr Wilson's climb was attempted in what he said was a "first-of-its-kind" engineered mobility chair, called RockClimber.

The chair features four electric motors and is being repaired for the new attempt at climbing the peak.

He said he hoped proving the capability of the chair could help drive future advancements in mobility chairs.

Mr Wilson served in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan before he was forced to retire due to prolapsed discs in his spine.

The mental health campaigner has filmed and published videos showcasing the difficulties he faces accessing day-to-day activities.

He said: "Mentally I'm a lot stronger [despite falling short in the first climb].

"Six months ago, I would have been in a massive tailspin in a really dark place... but I'm not [now]. That's testament to me and the work I've done [to build inner strength]."

"We're going to get to the summit and we're going to show people it can be done."