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January 29, 2025 61 mins

Professional climber Justin Salas has many accolades under his belt, including six national championships and a 2018 world championship. He is a V11 climber outside, and he is also legally blind. 


Today, Justin shares how climbing changed his life after he became blind at 14 years old. He’ll also share his thoughts on what it takes to be a professional climber in today’s environment, the ways in which climbing is different for him due to his visual impairment, his path to competitive climbing, and how a change in mindset has allowed him to find deeper joy in the act of climbing for climbing’s sake. 


Check out Justin on Instagram here



Join us over on the First Ascent Patreon. For $5, $7 or $10 a month, you’ll get access to wide ranging bonus content from greats like Mark Hudon, Scott Stevenson and many more. Plus you’ll get a Discord chat, exclusive beta, route info, and more. Check it out here:  https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcast


Do you have a listener question or a topic idea? Let us know at @firstascentpod on Instagram! Jay can be found at @jayknower




Disclaimer: 

The information expressed in this episode is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended as, nor should it be interpreted as, informational or instructional.



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