A BRAVE Preston college teacher has scaled the dizzy heights of success after climbing one of the highest mountains in Russia, despite being disabled.

Alison Fox, 35, has been visually impaired all her life. And the basic skills maths tutor says she climbed the 5,642m to the top of Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus Mountain Range to prove to people she could do it.

After spending a night in a chilly mountain hut, she set off on the four-and-a-half hour trek to the summit.

She said: "The walk takes you above the clouds and it is the altitude that affects you at that stage, the thinness of the air.

"So few people have climbed Elbrus and on this trip I was the only person with a visual impairment and one of the only women. It was tough going, but you have to keep going. Now I feel I could do anything -- at least in day-to-day life you're not going to die if something goes wrong!" Alison celebrated her 35th birthday, was offered her position at Preston College, and set off for Russia all in the same week. She joins the staff at Preston College after leaving her former job as a tutor at Park Lane College in Leeds.

She said: "Being a non-driver and disabled, an accomplishment like this has boosted my confidence and proved to myself and to others that I don't give up."

The trip was organised by the Sherpa Expeditions company.

A spokesman for the firm said: "Our chief guide, Gia, is a Georgian, is very experienced, and is excellent when understanding the group members' needs and expertise. As a result the trips we run there are very successful."