UPHILL BATTLE

Wheelchair Climber Scales Skyscraper for Charity in Hong Kong

Lai Chi-wai hoisted himself in his wheelchair singlehandedly more than 820 feet to raise money for spinal cord injuries. The feat took more than 10 hours.

Lai Chi-wai, a former four-time Asia rock climbing champion before becoming paralyzed from the waist down after an injury, became the first person in Hong Kong to climb more than 820 feet while strapped into a wheelchair. The 37-year-old was injured in a car accident 10 years ago had hoped to make it to the top of the Nina Tower skyscraper, but stopped short by 164 feet. “I was quite scared,” Lai said, according to the Guardian. “Climbing up a mountain, I can hold onto rocks or little holes, but with glass, all I can really rely on is the rope that I’m hanging off.” The event raised $670,639 in donations for spinal cord injury research.