I was born with eye disease. At school I even couldn’t read the blackboard. By the time I got to university, I couldn’t really see images(图像) at all. I just can tell the difference between light and dark. In the first year of my PHD, I was almost 100% blind.

When I was young I used to get very angry if I encountered something I found difficult or couldn’t do because of my eyes. But over time I learned that wasn’t a helpful response. There’s no point getting wound up by the fact that I can’t see, because it won’t change it.

I started climbing when I was young. My dad took me up my first rock route(路线) when I was two. All my early climbing was outdoor traditional climbing. My dad had been in the Mountain Rescue and was part of Mountaineering Club, so we would go for weekends away climbing throughout the UK.

He taught me everything I know and I led my first route outside when I was 11. At this time I could just about see well enough to place rock gear（齿轮）, but not well enough to pick out the routes from the ground. People are usually amazed when they discover that not only do I climb, but I also lead climbs.

At university I joined the Mountaineering Club and was able to climb much more frequently. We had regular trips to indoor walls and weekends away outdoors. I developed a great circle of climbing friends and went on multiple trips to Europe. On these I started Alpine climbing and ice climbing too.

There was a time when I thought I might have to give up leading as my eyesight got worse. But I never thought I would stop climbing. I just learnt to adapt myself to the eye disease with the support of my friends. It’s quite possible that I wouldn’t be as good a climber if I weren’t blind — if I didn’t have these challenges. That concentration and determination is built through my disability.

Success and Risk(风险) in Extreme Sports

What is it that drives some to take extreme risks,while the rest of us hurry for the safety of the sidelines?

Lester Keller, sports-psychology expert, says that not everyone has the mental makeup to do well in extreme sports. He notes that most of us hit a natural ceiling(天花板) that limits our interest for extreme risk. But others have a much greater interest for risk. Keller points to a top ski racer. He told Keller that the great risk makes you feel alive, tests what you are made of and how far you can take yourself. He said he would get nervous on some of the courses, but that this would just make him fight more.

Psychologists note that some people seem to be crazy for adrenaline(肾上腺素) rushes as a behavior looking for excited feelings. Like many extreme athletes, Emily Cook’s interest for risk appeared at a young age, “ was a gymnast,” she said. “I was one of those kids who enjoyed and did well at anything where you were upside down”.   As she started doing harder tricks, she was drawn to the challenge. “There are moments when you’re up there doing a new trick and it seems like an impossible thing. But overcoming that is just the coolest feeling in the world.”

Shane Murphy, sports professor, has worked with groups climbing Everest. “To me, that just seems like the height of risk,” he said. “But to them it was the next step in an activity that they’ve prepared for years.” Murphy said the view of extreme athletes is different from our own. “We look at a risky situation and know that if we were in that situation we would be out of control. But from the athletes’ view, they have a lot of control, and there are many things that they do to minimize(最小化) risk.”

Another understanding of risk may be something referred to as “the flow”,   a state in which many athletes become concentrated on the acts that focus the mind completely on the present. “Something that makes you try doing a tougher climb than usual, perhaps is that your adrenaline flows and you become very concentrated on what you’re doing,” Murphy says. “After it’s over, there’s great excitement.”

People of different skill levels experience the flow at different times. Some may always be driven to adventures that others consider extreme. “I can enjoy hitting a tennis ball around, because that’s my skill level,” Murphy says. “But others might need the challenge of Olympic competition.”

Knowing how many kilometers or miles per hour you’ll likely cover while hiking is of great importance. 【小题1】 It’s also important to build in time for breaks and extra time in case of bad weather or harder situations than expected.

If you’re not sure what your average hiking speed is, don’t worry. 【小题2】 Naismith’s rule is considered useful and was invented by the Scottish mountaineer William W. Naismith. It’s a great way to work out how long it will take you to complete your chosen path and it takes into consideration both distance and elevation (海拔高度).

It can be worked out as follows. One hour for every 3 miles plus an additional hour for every 600m of ascent (升高). So let’s say you wanted to know how long it would take to hike 6 miles with an elevation gain of 1,200m. That’s 2 hours for the distance and another 2 hours for the ascent, for a total of 4 hours. 【小题3】 It doesn’t include breaks.

【小题4】 You can choose exercises that you enjoy, whether that’s running, cycling, dance classes or something else. As long as it helps you build muscle (肌肉) strength, it will help you get your average hiking speed where you want it to be. Interestingly, specific weight training also helps increase your average walking speed on the path. It’s common knowledge that hikers should focus mainly on leg strength. 【小题5】