In 1998, Erik joined with Mark Wellman - the first paraplegic athlete to climb the infamous 3,300 foot face of El Capitan and Hugh Herr - a double leg amputee rock climber and the head of Harvard's prestigious prosthetics laboratory to climb the 800 foot vertical face of the Fischer Tower in Moab, Utah. Each of these athletes' lives were profoundly shaped by the mountains, and each in turn used the natural world to shatter barriers about what is possible. In 2003, they came together again, along with co-founder, Jim Goldsmith, to form No Barriers USA, a not-for-profit organization with a goal of promoting innovative ideas, approaches, and assistive technologies which help people with disabilities to break through personal barriers to live full and adventurous lives. No Barriers is not just a name; it is the attitude of reaching out and finding ways to accomplish one's dreams, no matter what it takes.

No barriers has held three festivals, the first two in Cortina, the heart of the stunning Italian Dolomites. To bring attention to the festival, Erik, Hugh Herr, and Andy Holzer - an amazing blind climber from Austria - formed a new team to climb a dramatic 2000 foot Dolomite rock spire. European media called the three, "The Wonder of the Alps."

Festival 2007 was held in Squaw Valley, California, attracting 600 scientists, inventors, therapists, entrepreneurs, athletes, and pioneers. Disabled athletes conducted adaptive clinics including rock climbing, mountain biking, scuba, kayaking, trekking, and fly fishing. Participants had the chance to interact with experts on the cutting edge of discovery and to test state-of-the-art assistive equipment. The next festival will be held June 4-7, 2009, in Coconut Grove (Miami) in partnership with a dynamic disability organization, Shake-A-Leg Miami.

www.nobarriersusa.org

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