This is what anyone would call an astonishing achievement, one that would occur maybe once in a lifetime.

According to the New Zealand Herald, 47-year-old Mark Inglis, from New Zealand called his wife, Anne, on Monday night to tell her that he was standing on the rooftop of the world, the 8,850 meter summit.

What makes his ascent story so impressive is the fact that Inglis has no natural legs, since both of them had been amputated from the knees due to frost bite in 1982 following a blizzard that trapped him and a friend in a cave of New Zealand's Mount Cook for a fortnight.

Thus, he becomes the first double amputee to reach the Everest peak. According to media reports, one of his artificial legs, made up of carbon fiber broke down while he reached the 6,400 meter threshold and he was forced to repair it with what tools he had.

The New Zealand Herald quoted his wife as saying that "he's dreamed of this all his life, probably. He's over the moon", and he truly is, to some extent.

In an official statement, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark congratulated Inglis for such a rarely seen experience: "To reach the summit of Everest is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement for any climber, but for Mark Inglis it will be even more satisfying".