Jul 22

Soldiers To The Summit

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I had the pleasure of working with Ed (Erik’s dad) while on Wall Street. Erik is a true inspiration….see his new challenge below..!!
Soldiers To The Summit

Lobuche EastIn October, I am leading a very special expedition to Nepal. For this new challenge, we have assembled over a dozen injured men and women from the Air Force, Army, and Marines. Some are amputees, some have suffered brain injuries, one is blind. Together, we will climb Lobuche East, a spectacular 20,075 foot peak at the foot of Mount Everest. Our injured soldiers will have an adventure that few able-bodied people can imagine. It will be a mental and physical challenge for everyone-and will undoubtedly be one of the greatest experiences of their lives.

To help the soldiers achieve their goal, I am reuniting most of my Everest team. Almost a decade ago, these climbers helped me become the only blind person to summit the Big E. That ascent changed all of our lives for the better. Now we want to give back by helping others achieve the seemingly impossible.

The same filmmaker, Michael Brown, who produced the award-winning film about our Everest climb (Farther Than The Eye Can See) is joining our soldiers team. He is sure to deliver an incredibly powerful documentary about this historic climb.

Meet the Soldiers

Our expedition web site contains bios on each team member. When you read their stories, it is clear that these men and women are true heroes who deserve our admiration and gratitude.

During the recent Mount Champion training climb in Colorado, our film crew had a chance to sit down and talk with a few of the soldiers. Short video clips of these interviews are on the site now. Meet Steve Baskis who is completely blind from shrapnel wounds, and Aaron Isaaacson who spent an entire year recovering from injuries sustained in Afghanistan, and watch to Cody Miranda describe the magnitude of PTSD in a soldiers life.

We have another training session in a few weeks near Leadville, Colorado and will be filming all of the soldiers as they practice the skills that will get them to the top of Lobuche and safely home. Stay tuned for more videos and blog posts from the soldiers about the experience.

Support the Soldiers

We need your help to spread the word about this unique expedition! Please forward this email to friends, family, and coworkers. If you are on Facebook, please become a fan of Soldiers to the Summit and tell your friends about us. If you have contacts in the media, tell them about this effort to help wounded soldiers shatter barriers.

There are several levels of sponsorship available to companies that will give your brand excellent publicity. Please contact Ed for further details. If you have a personal connection to one of our soldiers, you can directly sponsor their climb. At the end of each bio, there is a button to make a donation in their name.

We also have a limited number of openings left for trekking with the team to Base Camp. This is an incredible opportunity to hike in one of the world’s most beautiful mountain ranges. Traveling with these soldiers will make the experience even more rewarding. If you or a friend are interested, contact us as soon as possible.

I hope you are having a great summer! When you find yourself facing a challenge in the next few weeks, think about what a greater challenge our wounded soldiers face everyday. These men and women fought for their country and have paid a heavy price. This expedition is an opportunity to support them and inspire others who are facing adversity in their lives.
With gratitude,

Erik Weihenmayer

Mar 8

Teen Choices for Success

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A few days ago a mom wrote to me and asked where and when I was speaking in Southern California. I informed her that I was speaking at Creekside H.S.  Leadership Academy in Irvine and also Cal State Fullerton over the next few weeks.

The mom also thought that her daughter might not watch the Success4Teens DVD if she gave it to her, but that she might be more inclined to watch it in a “group setting”.  I agreed with the mom that it was highly unlikely that her daughter would watch it for two specific reasons. 1.) it was provided by “the parental unit” therefore no good, and 2.) she ’s not motivated to succeed- only her mother is.

What’s more important was exploring the “group setting”. This is where I need to be real clear. My belief (as covered in my Success4Teens DVD) is that 95% of the people on the planet are not successful, and that’s because they are part of  “the herd” or the “group setting”. And as we always said on Wall Street, the herd gets slaughtered”…!!!

Success, in my opinion, is very INDIVIDUALISTIC”. The success principles I laid out in “Formula for Success” aka. Success4Teens are for individuals to execute – NOT groups. The rules for success are  proper time management, goal setting, knowing HOW to deal with setbacks and HOW to create a positive mental attitude…..these are done on an individual basis not a group basis. The DVD Success4Teens is meant to educate first, then inspire. Motivation comes when the individual employs the principles…!!!!


Feb 9

Motivate My Teen

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Over the years many moms and dads have asked me to motivate their teens. I think I am consistent when I say nobody can motivate someone “only inspire”. What I mean by this is— motivation comes from within oneself —how it gets there- is through inspiration and education.

When I developed “Formula for Success” it was to take the elements of mental, physical and spiritual and devise a “game plan” for success. As I always say if one of the legs on this 3 legged stool is missing it will not stand.

Inspiration comes in many formats. The two extremes are coming from the light or even coming from the dark (FEAR). Either way one can be successful if their goals are realistic and attainable. For example, one young man I dealt with had a fear of being poor and became motivated to “make it happen”. It was not that he had a desire to be rich–it was prompted by the fact he did not want to be poor.

Kids I speak to in college and High School have different reasons for wanting to be successful and that’s fine. It all starts with a “roadmap” a “game plan” –a call to action.

The quote on the back of my business card says: There are only three types of people in this world : Those that “make it happen”, those that “watch it happen” and those that say “WHAT happened”?

Which one are you??