Life is Climbing
Koba was already a keen climber when at 28 years of age he succumbed to an eye disease which rendered him slowly blind. In despair about his complete loss of sight, in 2003 he met Naoya in Colorado. From that moment on, Naoya was responsible for guiding him on his rock climbs. With Naoya’s help in navigation, Koba started climbing competitively and even won four gold medals at the paraclimbing world championships.
In 2021, Koba and Naoya returned to Colorado to retrace their old path and meet some of the people who changed their lives. Erik Weihenmayer, for example, the first blind mountaineer to scale Mount Everest. Koba recalls how, twenty years earlier, Erik inspired and encouraged him to start his non-profit organisation Monkey Magic, which aims to promote the understanding of diversity in society through paraclimbing.
At the end of their journey, Koba and Naoya make their way to Moab, Utah. It is Naoya’s dream to get to the top of the spectacular Fisher Tower with Koba. Under the guidance of Naoya, and then pretty much on his own, Koba undertakes a breathtaking attempt to reach the top.
