“Despite our success, plenty of detractors voiced their opinions on Internet chat rooms and in letters to the editor. I’ve heard all the ridiculous assumptions. “Now that a blind guy’s climbed it everyone’s going to want to climb it. They’re going to think it’s easy. People will get hurt.” “Why are people thinking this is such a big deal? Anyone can be short roped to the top by nineteen Seeing Eye guides.” My teammates constantly came to my rescue with carefully crafted comebacks like—before you start sprouting a bunch of lies over a public forum, get your facts straight, dude. Don’t let them get to you, Chris Mora said after I shared with him their comments. You climbed every inch of the South Col and then some. I knew he was right. There was some who would never be content, others who still had no idea what to think, but many others for whom the climb forced to higher expectation of their own possibilities. I don’t climb mountains to prove to anyone that blind people can do this or that. I climb for the same reason an artist paints a picture: because it brings me great joy.” (

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It is well recognised that cranial …