Eating dinner in the dark might sound a little daunting, but acclaimed mountaineer and motivational speaker Erik Weihenmayer does it every day. At every meal. Weihenmayer has been blind since he was 13 years old, but that hasn’t stopped him from summiting Mount Everest (and the rest of the seven highest summits in the world) and numerous other mountaineering feats.
Weihenmayer is hosting the Dinner in the Dark event, a fundraiser for Telluride Adaptive Sports Program in support of a summer program called the No Barriers Summit. The lights will be out at the Dinner in the Dark, held at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 at Hotel Madeline. The evening starts out with cocktails and guests will have to rely on other senses as they taste and smell a gourmet, three-course meal. Weihenmayer will make a presentation after the meal.
The 2013 No Barriers Summit will combine hands-on clinics, outdoor excursions, films, art, music, keynote addresses, leadership exercises and symposia for 400-600 attendees, many of whom have disabilities. No Barriers is one of Weihenmayer’s outreach organizations and this summer’s event in Telluride will celebrate the power of the human spirit and how it transcends barriers.