The Team
"It's regular, everyday people who want to try this."
— Gene Rodgers, team member with quadriplegia
The members of the Team Everest Challenge Trek Team include 15 people representing a range of disabilities, including quadriplegia, paraplegia, missing limbs, hearing impairments, and other challenges. The disabled team members are joined by their personal assistants and companions, and more than 100 support crew members, including Sherpa guides, porters, cooks, and yak herders. Because of the dangers of trekking in this region, a doctor, nurse, and EMT provide medical support to the team.
In "Team Everest: A Himalayan Journey" you'll meet a few of the extraordinary individuals who make up the Challenge Trek Team. On their 21 day journey to reach Mount Everest Base Camp and an altitude of 17,500 ft., their adventure unfolds through their personal stories, and the physical and emotional challenges the team members face along the trail to the world's highest mountain.
Gary Guller (36) - Team leader and arm amputee.
Expedition leader and mountaineer, Gary Guller, lost his arm following a climbing accident at the age of 17. The accident didn't diminish Gary's passion for mountaineering, however, and he continued to climb following the amputation—while holding out hope that he would some day make a bid for the summit of Mount Everest. After years of scaling other heights, Gary's lifelong dream seemed close at hand, but his first Everest summit attempt proved unsuccessful. Yet like any driven athlete, Gary wasn't ready to give up on his goal, and while giving the keynote speech at a disability conference in Texas, an improbable plan was born. Gary would have another opportunity to realize his dream of climbing the world's highest peak, but this time he would lead a unique expedition to the foot of that mountain. This expedition team would set out to become the largest group of people with disabilities ever to reach Mount Everest Base Camp. To learn more about expedition leader Gary Guller, go to www.garyguller.com.
Matt Standridge (26) - Automotive manager with paraplegia.
A motorcycle accident at the age of 18 resulted in Matt's paraplegia—though it's never slowed him down much. While working as an automotive manager at Wal-Mart, Matt's uncle sent him an application for the Team Everest trek, and encouraged him to apply for the team. Always up for a new challenge, Matt signed up immediately. Months later, during his first days in the high Himalayas, Matt quickly learns that his enthusiasm for a challenge may be no match for the realities of altitude sickness.