The men of Wales’ Bangor Rugby Club stay in peak physical shape to compete in the Welsh Rugby Union. This summer, they proved fitness can accomplish much more than winning a game. They gifted one member of the Bangor RFC family an experience he’ll never forget.

The club was planning a fundraiser — a climb up Wales’ highest peak, Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa). One of the players, Sam Thompson, mentioned his dad had always wanted to see Wales from the summit. The team all knows Phil Thompson. He’s a dedicated supporter of Bangor RFC, never missing a game. They also knew Phil wasn’t about to climb Snowdon on his own: the 66-year-old has been confined to a wheelchair since a motorcycle accident when he was 19.

The rugby team gives back to a wheelchair-bound dad

That’s when the team had an idea. The rugby players decided to carry Phil up the mountain as part of their fundraising climb. Player Mark Owen spearheaded the effort. A local welding company fabricated a frame for Phil’s wheelchair with long handles for the players to hold.

Snowdon’s peak is 3,560 feet above sea level. It took the RFC three hours to reach it, but they carried Thompson the entire way to the summit.

This selfless act by the Bangor RFC athletes is inspirational. And I don’t in any way mean to diminish it, but there’s a very good chance Phil Thompson will enjoy another journey up Snowdon in his lifetime — thanks this time to science.

EV technology is increasingly miniaturized into all-terrain electric wheelchairs. A Minnesota company recently introduced these mobility machines in its first U.S. National Park, Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes. They were so popular, the National Park Service is seeking local partners to introduce track chairs in as many parks as possible. You can see the Action Trackchair in the video embedded below: