Paradox Sports: Making Rock and Ice Climbing Accessible to Every Body

Paradox Sports was founded in 2007 by DJ Skelton, a severely injured Iraq war veteran, alongside a group of professional climbers, starting with an adaptive climbing clinic outside Washington, DC that drew climbers with amputations, visual impairments, paraplegia and other disabilities. Its Adaptive Climbing Initiative trains climbing gyms and communities across the US, free of charge, in the equipment and techniques needed to safely include climbers with disabilities, while its national trips take veterans and climbers with disabilities on rock and ice expeditions. Each year the organization serves more than 500 people of all abilities, including significant numbers of participants with limb differences, PTSD, neurological conditions, visual impairment, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Research on adaptive sporting events cited by the organization links participation to improved cardiovascular fitness, reduced depression and anxiety, and greater community integration.