蜜芽传媒 Scotland - 蜜芽传媒 Scotland - The visually impaired climber determined to scale the heights

The visually impaired climber determined to scale the heights

Losing his eyesight was no barrier to Red Széll following in the footsteps of his heroes.

Scaling Am Buachaille is a climber's dream. Standing at over 200 feet high, the sea stack juts out from wild Atlantic waters off Sutherland in the far north west of Scotland.

One of those climbers with dreams of conquering Am Buachaille is Red Széll. The sea stack presents a tricky climb for even the most experienced adventurer, but for Red there's an added challenge: his blindness.

A challenging climb

Red's companions guide him up Am Buachaille but the climb is not straightforward.

On Shared Vision, Red reveals that exploring has always been in his nature.

The sea stack Am Buachaille at Sandwood Bay, north west Scotland

"My mum said I was climbing out of my cot before I could walk properly," he says. "As soon as I could ride a bike that was it, I was off exploring the woods and the streams."

The diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa in his twenties and the subsequent loss of sight was a huge blow to Red. However, he eventually returned to climbing and followed in the footsteps of his adventuring heroes Tom Patey, Rustie Baillie and Chris Bonington.

"I was going stark staring mad," admits Red. "I don't like being blind. I need physical activity and the experience of living life outside the four walls of my home.

While his vision is impaired, Red has found that his other senses have become heightened.

"My ears operate in a kind of 360 way now, I can hear the echoes of things I can work out where I am and how close things are to me. My other senses are occupying the space that my sight used to dominate."

Red has already climbed The Old Man of Hoy; and was the first blind climber to do so. Making it to the top of Am Buachaille won't be easy, but that's part of the appeal.

"It’s about focusing on what we can do rather than fixating on what we can’t," says Red.

Shared Vision

Red Sz茅ll suffers from retinitis pigmentosa and is now blind. In this inspirational journey, Red climbs the remote, iconic sea stack Am Buachaille at Sandwood Bay, north west Scotland.