A blind climber who scales 25-metre walls by feel and his brother’s spoken directions has received a £14,000 boost to his dream of competing at the 2028 Paralympics.
Lux Losey-Sail, 21, from London, started climbing when he was nine, a few years after being diagnosed with Stargardt disease – a genetic condition which causes a loss of central vision.
Since joining the GB Paraclimbing Team as their youngest member at the age of 15, he has consistently earned podium spots in international competitions.
Lux, who works as a climbing instructor at the Castle Climbing Centre in Hackney, climbs with the assistance of his brother, Max, 25, who guides him through a radio headset.
With his Paraclimbing category potentially set to feature in the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028, Lux has received more than £14,000 from friends, family and the public via an online fundraiser to cover his training and travel.
“I love being up high,” he told PA Real Life.
“I’m not afraid of heights, and I’m always connected to a rope so I know that even if I fall I’ll be caught.
“It’s something I’m so used to that I don’t even register it anymore.”
Lux was diagnosed with Stargardt disease when he was seven years old.
“It basically means I have no central vision, and I can’t see at a distance,” he said.
“My earliest memory is not being able to see the whiteboard at school.”
Lux said what fully sighted individuals can see at 60 metres, he can just about make out at three metres.
“If I’m sitting across from someone at a table, I can’t see their face clearly,” he said.
“I’ll be able to distinguish who it might be, but I won’t be able to tell you their specific facial features.
“At this point, I don’t remember what it’s like to see with full sight.”
Lux started climbing at the age of nine thanks to the Short Breaks scheme, which gives disabled children access to various activities.
He soon began competing in regional competitions, where he got “lots of strange looks” as the only child there with a disability.
“It felt lonely and disheartening because obviously children at that age don’t understand,” he said.
“But you can’t blame any of the kids for it, because they’re just children.”
As a blind climber, Lux is assisted by a “sight guide” – a person on the ground helping him to navigate up the wall.
“As visually impaired climbers, we’re not going to know what specific holds are,” he said.
“When they’re guiding you, they’re giving you specifics on what type of hold is coming up, or the sequence of how to do the climb.
“It’s working as a team. They need to be on it and make sure that they’re giving you the correct amount of information.”
He started attending the British Mountaineering Council’s national Paraclimbing competitions around the age of 10.
When he was 15, he was accepted into the GB Paraclimbing Team – the youngest member of the team at the time.
Competing alongside other disabled climbers, Lux said: “It felt like I wasn’t the odd person out anymore.
“I wasn’t just a disability, I was me.”
At his first international competition in Briancon, France, in 2019, Lux came second by half a point.
He said: “I wasn’t pleased with my result, because I don’t think any athlete who gets anything but first is ever pleased with their result.
“That’s why we compete: we like to win.”
After a break from international events during the Covid lockdowns, Lux placed third at a 2021 competition in Moscow, Russia.
Following further podium finishes, Lux was on his way to the Paraclimbing World Cup in Arco, Italy, last September when he was told there were no sight guides available to help him.
He recalled: “I was scrambling to try and find someone, and then my brother just put his hand up and said ‘I’ll help you’.”
With his brother guiding him through a radio headset, Lux earned a silver medal at Arco.
“When you’re on the actual wall, for me, everything else disappears,” he said.
“It’s just the wall, my sight guide, and me. I don’t really register much from the outside.”
Lux is now preparing for three international competitions this year – in Innsbruck, Austria; Seoul, South Korea; and Laval, France.
However, his aim is set much higher following the announcement last year that the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles will be the first to feature Paraclimbing.
The International Paralympic Committee is set to announce which Paraclimbing categories will qualify by December.
“If my category can go and I can attend, I’m going to start training for that and get myself as ready as I can be,” Lux said.
Paraclimbing funding is limited, leaving many reliant upon donations and sponsors, so Lux has launched a GoFundMe page to cover equipment, travel, and training costs.
After reaching his goal of £12,000 in just one week, he has now raised more than £14,000.
He said: “It’s been amazing. I feel very supported by my community.
“My family and loved ones have really stepped up and done loads to help me.
“I don’t think I could have done all of this without them.”
Determined to make it to the 2028 Paralympics, Lux said: “I’ve always wanted to push myself to be the best that I can be.
“My brother once ran around Clissold Park 10 times, so I did it 11 times just to beat him.
“Regardless of if it’s a disability or mental health issues or whatever, human beings are resilient.
“Anything can be, if you put your mind to it. I really try and align myself with that mentality.”
– Lux’s fundraiser can be found at: gofundme.com/f/help-lux-reach-the-2028-paralympics
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