Yes and that's even assuming they did use torches. I suppose fire was known at the time, but creating a torch might be more complicated than making a fire for say cooking. Then you need to carry that torch somehow while climbing down the pits. OTOH, maybe blind prehistoric individuals could make themselves useful as cave explorers, being blind making them better at navigating total darkness.
When I was a child we played hide and seek in a large pitch black basement, and even in rooms we were familiar with from before the light was switched off we quickly lost orientation in the dark. And those rooms were just simple rectangular shapes, with straight walls and a horizontal floor.
"Located in Siberia, the Vitim River Bridge is one of the most spectacular bridges in the world. It’s an old train bridge crossing the Vitim River which leaves drivers precariously navigating a tiny six-foot-wide path. Its old metal structure is covered with rotting wooden planks, which can be slippery due to frequent ice in the area."
Here I must point out that the -50 degree C winter temperature in Kadykchan (and much of Siberia) is the same as on the ice planet in Mass Effect Andromeda. But in the game you only survive for about a minute, despite the futuristic space suits.
13:29:45 21 January 2018
