Ready to go - the team sets off from the Paiyun Lodge at an altitude of 3,402m.

When the goings get tough, the tough gets going!

A seemingly "mission impossible" to tackle!

The team ascends the 4,000-meter Mountain Jade as oxygen level drops.

Leading the way - the blind participants make history with the volunteer guides who play an ever-important role.

All united - the climbers share details of their ground-breaking attempt with members of the press on October 17, 2006

Achieving the seemingly unthinkable

Determination and a daring spirit help the blind conquer Mountain Jade in Taiwan

The thought of climbing a summit of nearly 4,000m could be daunting for just any hiker. In living the "Never Stop Exploring™" spirit, a group of 18 courageous blind climbers were determined to achieve what was almost unthinkable to many - reaching the 3,952m summit of Taiwan’s Jade Mountain, the tallest in the East Asia region.

The 18 fearless souls were ready to take on the unprecedented challenge as they entered The North Face® Beautiful Vision 2006 - Asian Blind Challenge of Mountain Jade. Coming from five different countries and cities, namely Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Korea and Thailand, the team embarked on the ground-breaking adventure on November 9, 2006 from the Jade Mountain National Park, where the Jade Mountain is situated.

Chasing the daring vision, each of the blind was led by a professional guide throughout the journey. With the entire hiking course requiring some 22km’s walking on narrow, uneven winding mountain paths and thinner oxygen level as the altitude goes up, it presented a demanding task for the participants.

As one climber recalled the memorable experience, "I’ve never thought we could be standing at the top of the mountain, although we could not enjoy the breath-taking scenes of the sunrise with our eyes, the beauty of the Mountain Jade will forever live with us in our hearts."

With superb team work and a relentless will to succeed, the team successfully conquered the summit and even more importantly, it went on to prove the saying that if there is a will, there’s a way in answering challenges.

The glorious story would be incomplete without paying tributes to the unsung heroes - the volunteer guides and medical officers - who were instrumental throughout the remarkable adventure as they become the trusted partners and guiding lights for the blind athletes. The North Face® in Taiwan, through sponsoring over 100 sets of professional gears in facilitating the climbers to reach the limits, is proud to be a part of the innovative challenge which complements its belief of "Never Stop Exploring™".