It is an icy, 19,340ft climb that has challenged the most hardened and seasoned of athletes. But for 25-year-old Kyle Maynard, the ascent to top of Mount Kilimanjaro will be more than an incredible test of will - it will be a physical feat never accomplished before. Mr Maynard, a quadriplegic, is training for a January trek to the highest peak in Africa. But incredibly, he will attempt to do it without any prosthetics. Mr Maynard suffers from congenital amputation, which left him with no arms beyond his elbows and no legs below his knees. Speaking to CBS News, he called the challenge the 'toughest test I ever faced'. A mixed martial arts fighter, motivational speaker and author, Mr Maynard is shown in a video report bear crawling along rocky terrain as he prepares with his team in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Rubber bicycle tires, attached with heavy-duty tape, are the only barrier between him and the earth. Mr Maynard said he will use some climbing equipment made specifically for his disability. But he will not be carried by anyone in his group - many of whom are overcoming traumatic injuries of their own to conquer the Tanzanian mountain. Joining him in the ascent will be former U.S. military members with injuries from shrapnel wounds to post-traumatic stress to traumatic brain injury, reports CBS. A veteran expedition leader with several previous trips up Kilimanjaro will lead the group. And while Mr Maynard endures gruelling training sessions to prepare his body and mind for the climb, he said what drives him is the will to inspire others to overcome whatever limitations they may face. A statement on his team's Mission Kilimanjaro website reads: 'I am climbing for the people who may realise how much potential they have in their lives. I am climbing to pay tribute to my heroes – the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who have sacrificed so much to preserve my freedom. 'I am climbing because it will be the hardest thing I have ever attempted. I am climbing because I can.'