Jerzy Plonka is a Polish mountaineer with 5% eyesight and this badass is on track to climb Europe’s highest 47 peaks. Plonka has climbed 44 peaks thus far and most recently conquered the Slættaratindur in the Faroe Islands, off the coast of Iceland.
According to The First News, Plonka relies heavily on his climbing partners Michal Mysza and Jacek Grzedzielski to navigate these sketchy peaks. For most of us, making a midnight trip to the bathroom with a cell phone light is challenging enough. Imagine scaling the 15,781′ Mount Blanc without the use of your eyes?
Some of the more difficult peaks even require him do some ski mountaineering which he is somewhat new to the Polish native. Making turns on high alpine terrain without the use of your vision may sound like a nightmare to most of us but not Plonka.
“Imagine many slits and a ridge no wider than a cigarette pack. When I sat on it, both my legs were hanging above a chasm. I couldn’t see it, but I felt the space and was really afraid.” – Jerzy Plonka (*Quote courtesy of The First News)
Oh yeah, Plonka is also a physiotherapist and has completed thirteen marathons. What we have here is an Unofficial Badass.
Find the entire The First News article here: Alpinist on course to becoming first blind man to climb Europe’s 47 highest mountains
