Arhiva articolelor Alpinet - Blind climber to scale Mt. Everest

NEW YORK: A blind American mountaineer will be part of a team attempting to scale Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, in Nepal. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) of the US has announced it would sponsor a seven-member team, with blind mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer, to scale the Everest's 8,848-meter peak.

``The climb will make a bold statement about the capabilities of blind people, and the fact that, given the proper training and opportunity, blind people can do just about anything,'' said NFB president Marc Maurer, adding the expedition "will make history by placing a team which includes a blind mountaineer on top of Everest next spring."

Thirty-two-year-old Weihenmayer is a rock and ice climber. He has successfully scaled many difficult peaks worldwide, including Mount McKinley, El Capitan, and Kilmanjaro. Most of his expeditions have been on mountains never attempted by a blind person. Weihenmeyer lives in Golden, Colorado and is a former fifth grade teacher and wrestling coach. Before his expedition to Everest, Weihenmayer plans to climb Mount Vinson in Antarctica in January. (IANS)