No legs, no limits: Russian climber reveals how he conquered Everest on his hands alone

Rustam Nabiev, a Russian climber from Ufa who became the first person ever to summit Mount Everest using only his arms, has shared the raw details of his historic ascent. In a social media post, the blogger—who lost both legs in a 2015 barracks collapse in Omsk—described the seven-day climb as a grueling test of will. “It was unimaginably hard. You have no idea how many times I cried in my tent, wondering why it had to be this difficult,” he wrote. “But this is Everest. It showed its temper, and I had to show mine.”

Nabiev said the biggest challenge came from the unfamiliar movement required to handle his ice axe. “On Manaslu, I used the axe in a way that felt natural. Up here, everything was awkward—technically far harder. I knew what I was doing, but I still don’t understand how I pulled it off,” he admitted.

He dedicated the climb to anyone who has ever given up hope. “On that mountain, using just my hands, I was fighting for my life. Life is what we must fight for—it’s the most precious thing we have,” he told his followers, thanking them for their support.

Nabiev reached the summit on May 21, having arrived in Nepal from Russia on April 7. Before leaving, he wrote a will and paid off debts on his house to legally protect his family—just in case.