Erik Weihenmayer (born September 23, 1968) is an American athlete, adventurer, author, activist and motivational speaker.

Weihenmayer has also made noteworthy climbs up the Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite in 1996, and ascended Losar, a 2,700-foot (820 m) vertical ice face in the Himalayas in 2008.

In 2005, he co-founded No Barriers, a nonprofit organization that helps people of diverse backgrounds and abilities to attack challenges head on, problem solve, build winning teams, and serve others.

In September 2014, Weihenmayer and blinded Navy veteran Lonnie Bedwell kayaked the entire 277 miles (446 km) of the Grand Canyon, considered one of the most formidable whitewater locations in the world.

[13][14][15] In September 2014, Weihenmayer and blinded Navy veteran, Lonnie Bedwell, kayaked the entire 277-miles of the Grand Canyon.

And in 2011, Weihenmayer's Team No Limits raced across the deserts and mountains of Morocco for a month, finishing in second place on the ABC reality show Expedition Impossible.

[17] In addition to being an adventurer and speaker, Weihenmayer is also the author of the book, Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye can See, which has been published in twelve countries and nine languages.

Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, stated, "This book led me to look carefully at myself with an awareness of how the challenges of my life can be the fuel that will enable me to swim against the stream, against cultural currents, against all forms of adversity inherent in my most important goals."

Weihenmayer's latest release, No Barriers: A Blind Man's Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon, was published in 2017.

The book is Weihenmayer's second memoir, and chronicles his descent of the Grand Canyon aimed to encourage those who have encountered obstacles to their goals.

Kirkus Reviews, a leading literary trade magazine, wrote: "Weihenmayer presents an exhilarating adventure story of arduous mountain climbing and whitewater kayaking, but he also offers broader life lessons.

Farther Than the Eye Can See, the documentary of his Everest ascent, is ranked by Men's Journal as one of the top 20 adventure films of all time.