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NZ legs amputee conquers Everest
 New Zealander Mark Inglis has a rest during his climb up Mount Everest. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- New Zealand climber Mark Inglis, the first double amputee to reach the summit of Mount Everest, was congratulated Tuesday by Prime Minister Helen Clark, herself a keen climber. Inglis, 47, reached the peak of the world's tallest mountain late Monday, phoning his wife Anne on New Zealand's South Island to say he'd made it and had returned to his party's base camp. "As a very amateur climber myself with two sound legs and having got to 6,000 meters (19,700 feet), I can appreciate what an amazing achievement this is and I offer him my full congratulations," Clark said. She hopes to congratulate Inglis personally for his "absolutely incredible feat." But asked if she would be prepared to tackle the world's tallest mountain herself, Clark was clear: "No, not even with two sound legs. No, it's too tough." Mount Everest is 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) high and Inglis has spent a grueling 40 days on the mountain. Anne Inglis said her husband had set out in his bid to reach the world's tallest peak on his prosthetic legs with an early morning start in perfect weather from Camp 4 -- less than 450 meters (1,500 feet) below the summit. The original expedition party split into two groups with four members of the first group reaching the top earlier in the day, she said. Inglis and his group of 20, including Sherpa guides, were in the second party. The climber had both legs severed just below the knees after suffering frostbite when he was trapped by storms while climbing New Zealand's highest peak, Mount Cook, in 1982. Inglis was a mountain guide when he and climbing companion Phil Doole were found barely alive two weeks after they were forced into an ice cave high on Mount Cook by storm and blizzard conditions. A wine maker and father of three, Inglis climbed 8,201-meter (26,906-foot) Mount Cho Oyu in Tibet in 2004. He said before leaving to climb Everest that the further he goes up a mountain the less disadvantage he has. Clark told reporters that Inglis was an inspirational person who had made an incredibly noteworthy achievement in scaling Everest. He had sent a signal to others with disabilities "that your ambitions should never be limited," she said. While she would love to talk to him she wouldn't do that until he was safely off the top of the mountain. Clark has climbed Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and got to 6,000 meters (19,700 feet) on Argentina's 6,962 meter (22,841 foot) Mount Aconcagua. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 
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