Erik, an athletic child, lost his vision in his early teen. At first he 41 to use a walking stick or learn Braille (盲文), 42 he could do as well as any teenage. He finally came to 43 his disability, though. He couldn’t play the same 44 as he used to. But then he discovered wrestling, a sport 45 sight wasn’t as important as touch and 46 . Then, at 16, he discovered rock climbing was like wrestling in some ways. A wrestler and a rock climber 47 information through touch. Rock climbing 48 mountain climbing, the greatest challenge of his life.
Erik’s teammates say he isn’t different from a 49 mountaineer. The major difference is that he isn’t as thin as most climbers. 50 , his strong upper body, flexibility and mental toughness make him a(n) 51 climber. The only help for Erik’s blindness is to place 52 on his teammates’ jackets so tha
Climbing Mount Everest was 54 for every climber on every team. The 55 to the mountain air for Erik was the same as it was for his teammates: 56 of oxygen causes the heart to beat slower, and the brain doesn’t 57 as clearly as normal. In some ways, Erik had an advantage 58 his teammates：as they got near the top, the vision of all climbers was 59 . So at a certain altitude, all his teammates were like Erik--nearly 60 .
To climb Mount Everest is an achievement for any athlete. Erik showed his disability wasn’t as important as his ability.
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