Missing a limb doesn’t mean always being a spectator

We spoke to Chris Linnitt, personal injury lawyer, amputee, RHEO Knee user, and mountain climber on his approach to adapting to change and building resilience.

I have been an amputee for 19 years now following a motorbike accident in 2002 when I was hit by a jeep while riding to work. I sustained serious head and leg injuries and spent the next four years trying to save my leg, before electing for it to be amputated above the knee in 2006. I’d always loved a challenge, but when the time came for me and my care team to admit that saving my leg wasn’t feasible, that’s when I started to question what it meant to be disabled. I certainly didn’t feel it, and yet I’d acquired this label. Should I behave and act a certain way now?

Being the stubborn being that I am, I had to prove – to myself more than anyone else – that missing a limb wouldn’t mean always being a spectator. So I started taking on challenges. I’ve done the London to Amsterdam Cycle, the Welsh Three Peaks of Snowdon, Pen-Y-Fan, and Caider Idris, then Ben Nevis…then I put my name down for Mont Blanc for 3rd June 2024!

Knowing that prosthetic users typically spend 80% more energy than those who don’t, I was nervous to say the least. When we arrived at our base and the climb was in jeopardy due to bad weather…that was stressful!

The climb was cancelled, but that made me tap into the strategies I use for dealing with pressure. I’ve learnt to become much more adaptable these days and have even come to expect change. So we made a new plan – to climb Monta Rosa, the second biggest peak in Europe!

We dealt with minor avalanches, snow that set around your calves like cement, 30-plus falls, and crampon-related leg injuries…and despite all that, I made it to over 4,000 metres, a couple of hundred metres from the summit. A definite win in my book. The trip was a great learning experience. It’s made more me patient and taught me to react to change with calmness. When things don’t go to plan, that’s ok. In fact, it’s inspired me to get a new tattoo - tetta reddast (the-ta re-dust) the unofficial motto of Iceland meaning ‘it will be ok in the end’, which I learnt through the ?ssur crew and perfectly captures the way I feel about always moving forward.

So what’s next? We take on Mont Blanc again (with probably a few more races in between if I’m honest). I’ve got my top-notch team, mindset, and equipment and prosthetics sorted, I just need the time and discipline to get to optimum fitness, 13 months to be exact.

And what I’m even more certain of now is that being an amputee won’t hold me back. You need to make sure you have the right tools for the job, a supportive team, and of course, hope that lady luck brings the good weather, because I do believe in giving things a go. It really will be ok in the end.