Ambassador Spotlight: James Scheri
By Henry White
James Scheri is a backcountry enthusiast. Not only does he enjoy climbing rocks, James is also passionate about cycling, backpacking, fishing, and really anything that gets him out there! He is a USMC veteran who hails from the Midwest. After graduating from Illinois State University with a degree in Engineering Technology, James made the move to Colorado to form a closer relationship with the mountains. In 2014, James was involved in a traumatic incident where he was hit by a train while riding his bike resulting in the amputation of his right foot. As a fairly new adaptive athlete, James quickly earned a spot at Nationals in Atlanta to climb on the 2016 U.S. Climbing Team in Paris. Now you can find James climbing all over the Front Range and enjoying the backcountry in Colorado.
Paradox Sports: I gotta ask, how long have you had your bodacious beard?
James Scheri: I have grown a longer than normal beard a couple times since I got out of the military, but I have been growing this one out since my accident. I had about a month of growth and after spending about three weeks in the hospital I decided to let it go. It seemed too complicated to try and clipper it there. I haven’t shaved since then – haha! And to be honest, I’ve gotten it caught in my belay device more times than I’d like to admit. I’ve had to trim about four inches off because of the mishaps with that.

James at our Paradox Ouray 2017 trip
PS: So how did you first get linked up with Paradox Sports?
JS: I started climbing as part of a rehab-type-deal through the Veterans Association that was connected to Adaptive Adventures in Lakewood, CO. They co-partner and sponsor the Front Range Adaptive Climbing Club with Paradox.
PS: With your accident happening just a few years ago, how has your transition to being an adaptive athlete been?
JS: It’s been weird. I started climbing before I could wear and walk comfortably with a prosthetic. My doctor said I should use it for therapy. The process has been pretty frustrating because before the accident I was an avid cyclist and served in the military. I don’t watch television and I don’t have any lazy hobbies. Other people seem to be more impressed with what I do than how I feel about it. I have always been an athlete so when I couldn’t perform how I was used to, I felt pretty weak. During all of the initial downtime I lost a lot of muscle. So when I started, I could only climb 5.6 routes. And even that was difficult. With the use of a prosthetic, climbing has been great but it was challenging to get back up to speed with snowboarding and mountain biking. But snowboarding has been going way better this year than past years. I am just super stoked on climbing now.
PS: How long have you been climbing with the adaptive climbing club?
JS: For about a year and a half now. It is good exposure to be around other adaptive athletes. It’s fun to help new inexperienced people get more psyched to climb. I think it is easier for people to be around other people in a similar situation. The club offers the opportunity for us to get together and share stories and our passion for climbing. I have made a ton of friends through Paradox, it’s an awesome community. I often climb with Mo Beck and Jeff Glasbrenner. Chad Jukes is super rad but I don’t get to see him too much.

James, Mo, and Craig at the gym | Photo by Cedar Wright
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.