Wheelchair mountaineering.

Survival training in the wilderness has proven effective with able-bodied populations in building self-esteem, self-assertion, sense of competence, and leadership. Wheelchair sports has been shown to be an important modality for patients with spinal cord injury. This report discusses a paraplegic man who succeeded, together with two other wheelchair-bound persons, in climbing an 8751-foot mountain. The patient's reactions to this achievement support the theory that personal-mastery accomplishments build the individual's sense of self-efficacy. Wheelchair mountaineering is suggested as a potential valuable tool in the long-term physical and emotional rehabilitation of selected individuals.