Visually impaired Romanian climbers conquer Mont Blanc

Alex Benchea and Răzvan Nedu, two Romanians with severe visual impairments, have climbed the Mont Blanc (4,810 meters) after a two-day expedition, Libertateareported.

The two left for the French town of Chamonix on July 15. There, they met with a team of international mountain guides coordinated by Cosmin Andron. They started the expedition on Friday, July 17.

Alex Benchea is blind and has already conquered Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. After Mont Blanc, he also wants to climb Mount Elbrus.

Razvan Nedu has just 1% of his vision. He has been climbing for more than three years and has won medals at national and international competitions.

“I am happy! My dream to climb Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc, and Elbrus is only one step away. After the accomplishment on Sunday, I can say I am very happy, grateful to the team, and confident. It was a climb with many novelties for me, but I felt perfectly safe, and my soul was laughing,” Alex Benchea said in a press release of the Climb Again association.

To prepare for the climb, the two athletes trained at the beginning of June on the local Moldoveanu Peak.

Climb Again is an NGO supporting children and youth with special needs to “integrate into society, regain their independence, and live on their own.” In 2018, it opened a center for therapy through climbing, in Bucharest.

(Photo: Climb Again Facebook Page)