Patrick Chammas conquered the epic feat over 11 hours.
On May 26, 2018, Patrick Chammas was waiting for a train to Hollywood when he fell on the tracks and was knocked unconscious. A train then hit him, severing his right leg and badly damaging his left. Both were later amputated, one above the knee and the other below it.
Chammas, now 32, has no memory of the accident itself, but he does remember being in a “dream realm that felt like hell for an eternity” while lying unconscious in the hospital.
A few weeks after he was released from the hospital, Chammas connected with The Heroes Project, a non-profit organization that gives wounded veterans the chance to complete life-changing expeditions. On August 10, 2019, Chammas became the project’s first-ever civilian Hero when he summited Mount Elbrus in Russia. At 18,510 feet, it’s Europe’s highest mountain.
“I knew that if I didn’t have a big aim after my accident, I would be in a very vulnerable position,” he says. “If you are not working towards something, the downward spiral happens very fast.”
Chammas worked with James Taylor, a Tier 3 trainer at Pasadena in California, for six months to prepare for the climb. “He was pretty deconditioned when he first came in, so we started with high reps and low weights to get his mechanics and movement patterns right,” says Taylor, adding that lower-body moves took priority.
Furthermore caught up with Chammas ahead of the ninth annual Cycle for Heroes event at Santa Monica Pier to talk about his expedition and what’s next.