Erik Weihenmayer

Erik Weihenmayer born September 23 1968 is an American athlete adventurer author activist and motivational speaker He was the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 25 2001 Due to this accomplishment he was featured on the cover of Time magazine He completed the Seven Summits in September 2002 one of only 150 mountaineers at the time to do so but the only blind climber to achieve this feat In 2008 he also added the Carstensz Pyramid thus completing the Eight Summits Weihenmayer has also made noteworthy climbs up the Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite in 1996 and ascended Losar a 2700foot 820 m vertical ice face in the Himalayas in 2008