Running the school of 44 students and 11 staff on a budget of US$27,000 a year is one of many achievements that has led to Tenberken's nomination this fall for Time Magazine Asia and Europe's Heroine of the Year.
Tenberken wrote to Weihenmayer after hearing of his Everest ascent, asking if he would meet her students. Weihenmayer felt compelled to do more.
"Everest was a great achievement, but I wanted to add to what I did," Weihenmayer said. "These kids haven't been born into all the opportunity I've had. I wanted to be that opportunity for these kids."
He spent almost two years planning and finding sponsors to fund the Climbing Blind expedition.
The exhaustion of trekking to 7,000m forced setbacks when three of the students developed altitude sickness and cerebral edema, a life-threatening swelling of the brain caused by low oxygen levels. The symptoms were severe headaches, disorientation and nausea. They were sent to lower altitude to recover along with five adults who were also sick.
Lhakpa Ri proved too ambitious a climb for the remaining three students, and the expedition was modified. Rope teams of guides and children explored the East Rongbuk Glacier, which bridges Lhakpa Ri and Mount Everest. Negotiating fissures and mulans, glacier holes caused by melting water, proved challenging enough and still taught the teenagers valuable lessons.
"Four people connected by one rope has a symbolic value," Tenberken said. "It reinforces the concept of teamwork."
The accomplishment of climbing to 7,000m remains significant -- all six teenagers hold a record for reaching the highest altitude of any blind children in the world.
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