Yesterday, I was interviewed by our local NBC affiliate, KUSA, for their morning show Colorado & Company. I talked about the upcoming No Barriers Summit as well as a variety of other topics. As usual, my dog Uri stole the babe’s heart!
Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
TV news appearance
Friday, June 17th, 2011Registration for No Barriers Summit now open!
Thursday, March 17th, 2011No Barriers recently opened online registration for Summit 2011. We anticipate Summit 2011 filling early so please register soon to guarantee your place!
Registration is $75 for the 4-day Summit and includes access to all the offerings including: Opening Ceremony with Josh Blue, all adventure clinics sessions, full access to Innovation Village and No Barriers University Presentations and dinners. (Limited scholarship are available – please contact jackiec@NoBarriersUSA.org for details.)
There are some exciting changes in the registration process which will allow No Barriers and our partners to plan an even better experience for you. Please be detailed in your registration so that we can make the best accommodations necessary for all. Click here for attendee registration.
Volunteers will now also register through the online process. This new system will allow volunteers to select their preferred times for service and area of service; plus provide detail information areas of expertise and skills for adventure clinics. Click here for volunteer registration.
We also will be utilizing an online registration for adventure clinics (formerly called interactive clinics) that will begin in mid-May. This delayed registration will allow you to consider all available options over the next few months. For our clinic leaders, it will allow them to make the best accommodations possible for all participants signing up for their specific clinic. To see a list of some of the adventure clinics being offered this year click here for Adventure Village.
The Summit has SOLD OUT early in years past – so make your reservations now!
Remember to also book your lodging directly with Winter Park Resorts through our website to get the special lodging rates starting at $55 per night.
Elbert Fundraising Climb
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011Hard to believe but it’s been 10 years since I climbed Everest! A lot has happened since then and my team and I are still working together to give back after the mountains have given us so much. Our latest effort was the Soldiers To The Summit expedition and now we are working on making the film happen.
This May, we are going to celebrate the big anniversary by climbing the highest peak in Colorado, Mount Elbert, along with special guests and interested donors. The goal is to raise $25,000 that will go towards the film project and tour. We are hoping to bring along 25 people who would like to climb with me, Jordan Romero, and over a dozen other Everest climbers and soldiers. Michael Brown from Serac Adventures Films will be filming the ascent and will prescreen the Soldiers film the night before at a special dinner.
Hope you can make it! Please pass this along to anyone you know who might be interested.
Reach!
Erik
On May 25th, 2001, Erik Weihenmayer made the first blind ascent of Mount Everest. On May 22nd, 2010, at age 13, Jordan Romero became the youngest person to summit the world’s highest peak. To commemorate the anniversaries of their historic climbs, Erik and Jordan are teaming up to raise funds for the Soldiers To The Summit Project.
Last fall, Erik and his historic Everest team organized an expedition as a way to give back to America’s heroes. The members included 12 wounded soldiers from the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines whose injuries included amputations, blindness, and PTSD. Together with the climbing team, these remarkable men and women reached the summit of a steep and difficult Himalayan peak to prove what is possible despite adversity and to push forward on the difficult road of rehabilitation.
With the expedition a tremendous success, the next phase of the project is underway, with help from No Barriers USA. Proceeds of the Elbert climb will go towards a film that tells the stories of these heroes and spreads a healing message to a national audience, as well as other injured soldiers facing their own recovery.
At 14,440 feet, Mount Elbert is the highest peak in Colorado. The ascent involves 4,700 feet of elevation gain in just over 4 miles and much of the trail is above treeline—this is a strenuous climb that requires good fitness!
In addition to Erik and Jordan, you will be accompanied by other Everest veterans and wounded soldiers. Michael Brown, the filmmaker of both Soldiers to the Summit and Farther Than the Eye Can See, and Rex Pemberton, youngest Australian to climb Everest, will be alongside to create a short film of our ascent as a memento. The night before the climb, we will host a special reception and private screening of the Soldiers To The Summit documentary. Please join us for an exciting adventure and help our soldiers!
Cost: $1000.00 per person (tax-deductible) includes hotel and dinner in Leadville and dinner on Thursday night.
Contact: Nicole Spader
No Barriers USA
Phone: 952-472-2400
Email: nicoleds@nobarriersusa.org
No Barriers Summit Honorary Committee
Monday, March 14th, 2011| Wow, I am super excited! We have a powerhouse team backing the No Barriers Summit including our senior US Senator and the state Governor. It’s no small feat to get major hitters like these backing an event, which speaks volumes about the significance of our Summit.
Don’t forget to mark you calendars and join us in Winter Park, CO from June 30 to July 3rd! Press Release: The No Barriers Board of Directors and staff, along with Summit 2011 Partner, National Sports Center for the Disabled, are proud to unveil the No Barriers Summit 2011 Colorado Honorary Committee, an accomplished group of luminaries in the sports, business and civic arenas who, in an incredible show of support for the mission and purpose of the Summit, have volunteered to use their talent and influence to help spread the word and promote this bi-yearly international celebration of outdoor adventure sports, assistive technology, art, culture and music with a focus on giving people who live with challenges the technologies and techniques needed to help them live more active lives. “The Colorado Honorary Committee is an amazingly diverse collection of individuals with ties to Colorado who, by simply volunteering their names and offering their talents, add credibility to our upcoming Summit event,” says Erik Weihenmayer, No Barriers USA president. “While this is our fifth international event, it is the first time we have assembled a committee like this to help show the world that our work is necessary and groundbreaking. We are honored these luminaries have volunteered to join us as we continue our work of replacing society’s perceptions about disability and personal challenge with a renewed belief in what is possible and what will be in the future.” Honorary Co-Chairs The Honorable Mark Udall U.S. Senator, State of Colorado
The Honorable John Hickenlooper Governor, State of Colorado
Josh Blue Comedian / U.S. Paralympian, Soccer
Craig Pollitt President, National Sports Center for the Disabled
Honorary Committee Members Alice Applebaum – Executive Director, Anchor Center for Blind Children Joel Berman – Executive Director, Adaptive Adventures Amanda Boxtel – eLegs Ambassador and Liaison, Berkeley Bionics Michael Brown – Founder, Adventure Film School Malcolm Daly – Executive Director, Paradox Sports Julie Deden – Executive Director, Colorado Center for the Blind Gary DeFrange – President, Winter Park Resort Trish Downing – Author / Speaker / Director, Camp Discovery Neil Duncan – U.S. Army – Retired Joe Ellis – Chief Operating Officer, Denver Broncos Bruce Fitch – President, Breckenridge Outdoor Educational Center Mike Fordyce – President, Craig Hospital Chanda Hinton-Leichtle – Executive Director, The Chanda Plan Foundation Craig Kennedy – President, Access Anything Chris Klug – U.S. Olympian Medalist, Snowboarding Ian Lawless - Executive Director, U.S. Handcycling Federation Mark Lucas – Executive Director, United States Association of Blind Athletes Kimberly MacArthur Graham – Principal, Layer Cake Creative Marketing Strategies James Mejia – CEO, Denver Preschool Program Jeff Messner – Former President & CEO, World TEAM Sports The Honorable Jim Myers – Mayor, Town of Winter Park Alana Nichols – U.S. Paralympian Medalist, Wheelchair Basketball and Alpine Skiing Aron Ralston – Author / Speaker Jason Regier – U.S. Paralympian Medalist, Wheelchair Rugby Catherine Ross – President, Winter Park Chamber of Commerce Mark Shepherd – Executive Director, PVA Mountain States Chapter Zachary Taylor – Regional Health Administrator Region VIII, Department of Health & Human Services Tom Tucker – President, Denver Athletic Club Matt Updike – U.S. Paralympian Medalist, Handcycling / Mortgage Banker Sarah Will – U.S. Paralympian Medalist, Alpine Skiing |
Soldiers on the Pentagon!
Sunday, March 6th, 2011A quick heads-up for a show premiering Monday  morning (3/7/11) about our Soldiers To The Summit expedition. RECON is a monthly 1/2 hour news show that airs on The Pentagon Channel and features stories highlighting accomplishments of U.S. military men and women. Many local cable providers offer TPC but if you don’t have that option, you can watch the show on their web site: www.pentagonchannel.mil.
We haven’t seen it yet but this should be worth watching!
Denver Fundraising Event
Monday, February 21st, 2011If you are in the Denver area, I hope you can attend our No Barriers fundraiser next Wednesday (February 23rd) at the Denver Athletic Club. I will be teaming up with Neil Duncan to give a presentation about the many ways of taking on adversity and using it to your advantage. We will also have a preview of the movie about our Soldiers to the Summit expedition!
This event will help raise money for the upcoming No Barriers Summit, which will be held in Winter Park, CO from June 30th to July 3rd. It’s going to be an amazing festival and we want to make it affordable for everyone by raising funds now.
2nd Race Across The Sky screening
Monday, November 22nd, 2010Attention friends living in Austin, Boston, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Colorado Springs, Columbia, Dallas, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Greensboro, Greenville, Los Angeles, Madison, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, or San Francisco areas! There will be an encore presentation of the fantastic movie Race Across The Sky on Tuesday, November 30th (just over a week from now) at 7:30 PM local time. I was invited to be on the panel at the premier a couple weeks ago along with Levi Leipheimer and Rebecca Rusch.
This film is about the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race that I completed this summer (in just under 12 hours). The story of the race, from the elite cyclists to the everyday athletes like me and John, are amazingly well  told. I love this film, from the pacing to the motivational stories to the cranking music. Citizen Pictures really knows how to tell a story which keeps you engaged throughout and afterwards, ready to take on more challenges in your life. If you didn’t see the premier, don’t miss next Tuesday.
Final Team Call from Kathmandu
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010Please join our Soldiers To The Summit team for a live broadcast from Kathmandu! It starts at 11 AM Eastern time and will last about an hour. You can ask the soldiers questions about their experience, either by typing them in or by voice if your computer has a microphone.
Here is the registration link for Wednesday’s final Lobuche webinar: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/685125048
Several soldiers will speak. We have asked Michael Brown, the filmmaker, to say a few words about what he envisions for the upcoming documentary. And we’re hoping the soldiers might comment on the expeditions impact on brain trauma and how PTSD might have affected their climb.
This has been a spectacular adventure and we’re pleased many of you have been able to join the team via these webinars. I hope to hear from you tomorrow!
Anchor Center Hike
Monday, October 18th, 2010Now that our successful Soldiers to the Summit expedition is on the way home from Lobuche, I’d like to share some of the other things that have been going on. Not all adventures have to be big and sometimes small adventures can inspire as well.
A few weeks ago, prior to my departure for Nepal, my team and I took part in the annual Anchor Center for Blind Children fundraiser hike. The Anchor Center provides early childhood education for blind children and their families to help develop life skills that will prepare them for traditional school and beyond. They do wonderful work helping these kids and their families and I am so pleased to be a part of their fundraising efforts. In the four years we have been involved, the Anchor Center has raised nearly $20,000 through these hikes.
This year over 70 people joined us for our climb of Mt. Goliath, located on the flanks of one of Colorado’s most famous 14ers, Mt. Evans. It was a great climb, beginning just below treeline and coursing through a forest of 1,600-year-old bristlecone pine trees, before opening up to spectacular views overlooking Denver and the Colorado Front Range.  In the past, participants of the fundraiser hike have been supporters of the Anchor Center, but this year we were excited to be joined by some graduates of the Anchor Center’s pre-K programs who were eager to get out and show off their hiking skills.
Some of the sighted hikers were even brave enough to let me show them some techniques for blind hiking, so we blindfolded them and they learned how I use trekking poles to feel my way down the trail.
It was a sunny, beautiful Colorado Fall day and we finished it off with a family BBQ picnic at the Echo Lake campground. I am glad to have the opportunity to help the Anchor Center raise money for its programs and I’m looking forward to next year’s hike.
No Barriers Summit – June 2011, Plan ahead!
Friday, September 17th, 2010I’m excited to help bring a major international event to my backyard! Next summer, Winter Park, Colorado we will be the setting for the fifth No Barriers Summit. Scheduled from June 30th to July 3rd, 2011, this is the world’s top gathering of scientists, innovators, and disabled outdoor athletes. The No Barriers Summit is a unique opportunity for people to check out the latest assistive technologies, meet some amazing people who have turned adversity to their advantage, and participate in a wide range of clinics and sympossiums.
The No Barriers Summits have been held in Italy and the US (Tahoe and Miami), where they have been a tremendous success. The next Summit will be hosted by the National Sports Center for the Disabled, which is one of the largest outdoor therapeutic recreation agencies in the world. This promises to be the biggest and best event yet!
Here’s a preview video to give you an idea of what the Summit is about:
