Leamington man with cerebral palsy stars in film about how he climbed to Everest Base Camp on horseback

Max Stainton-Parfitt during the trek. Credit: Bohemia Media

The story of a disabled Leamington man’s incredible horseback ride to Mount Everest Base Camp is the subject of a film which will be released in cinemas internationally this month.

In 2018, Max Stainton-Parfitt became the first physically disabled man to trek to Everest Base Camp.

The documentary film My Everest, in cinemas from April 27 and presented by Bohemia Media, tells the story of Max’s incredible journey.

Featuring the astonishing scenery of the Himalayas, My Everest invites the audience to understand Max’s world as a disabled man, and how his drive to defy societal expectations led him to put his life on the line, and by doing so, question why he felt he had to prove himself to the world.

In the film, Max says: “What people see as ‘normal things’, I see as rebellious acts which are challenging societal expectations and breaking those barriers.

"For me, being independent was about breaking out of that ‘disabled box’ and being seen as just another human being.”

Max, who grew up in Leamington, was born with Cerebral Palsy as the result of complications at birth and the condition means he needs support in every aspect of his daily life.

Max Stainton-Parfitt Credit: Bohemia Media

He attended The Riding for the Disabled Association’s (RDA) centre in Stratford from the age of five until he went to university.

While still in his mid-20s he teamed up with independent travel company, Adventure Alternative, and undertook the trek – which took him and his team more than two weeks - in 2018.

Not only did Max undertake the trek up to Everest Base Camp as a personal challenge of ‘taking his my body to the extreme limits of its endurance’ but he also did it to raise money for the RDA.

Max said: “As a child, the RDA provided one of the first consistent therapies I had.

Image from the film My Everest. Credit: Bohemia Media

“It not only provided regular therapy for my condition, but it allowed me to take part in a sport I could participate in and interact with a different set of people and make new friends.”

To view the My Everest trailer visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSbTgauMpeE