31 July 2005 - Brad begins his ascent of the Stawamus Chief at 5:45 in the morning. The weather is perfect and the new rig performs beautifully, allowing sustained progress up the face. At 7:30 p.m. Brad reaches the top, becoming the first quadriplegic to climb the Chief.

Spring 2005 - The new rig undergoes successful testing in the climbing gym, and preparations are made to climb to the top of the Chief.

Winter 2005 - With the help of Dark Cycles (Pathway Design) the new rig takes shape in lighter materials paid for by family and close friends. Brad continues to battle health issues while finishing school, and Team Vertical gets a new website. The equipment needs to expand to include medical telemetry and video to be webcast for a September attempt at the summit.

This attempt requires the earliest possible start as the days are shorter, but the temperatures will at least be manageable for Brad—as quadriplegics can't regulate their internal temperatures by sweating. It is far better to try to keep Brad warm than to be frequently removing his helmet to soak him with water in an effort to keep his temperature down to safe levels.

With continued hard work by over-qualified volunteers, Team Vertical will put the first quadriplegic on the summit in less than a day—something that was not even conceivable when the project started over ten years ago.