MountainVision Friends

Didrik Johnck is a professional photographer and videographer who regularly travels to the farthest corners of the Earth documenting modern day adventures, while creating and producing original editorial content for some of the most well-known Web sites in the world, including MSNBC.com, MSN.com, and Yahoo.com. His assignments have taken him across the Himalayas and to the top of Mt. Everest, into the jungles of Colombia and Rwanda, and through the city streets of places like Bangkok, Sarajevo, Kathmandu, and Marrakesh. Didrik's imagery has been featured on the cover of Time magazine.

Many of the photos on the MountainVision site and in the Trip Photo Galleries were taken by Didrik.

Michael Brown has been making adventure related films for 15 years. His early experience in film was as a production assistant and sound man and then as an assistant cameraman. With the help of Sherpas and a great team, Michael brought the first high definition (HD) video camera to the summit of Mt. Everest in 2001. He was there to shoot the historic National Federation of the Blind Expedition with blind climber Erik Weihenmayer. Michael later edited the award winning film Farther Than the Eye Can See about the amazing and historic adventure.

Michael's films have received over 30 international film festival awards as well as many industry awards including three national Sports Emmy awards from five nominations. Founder of Serac Adventure Films, Michael produces, directs, shoots, and edits his own films, and can often be found on adventures, MountainVision and otherwise, with a camera in hand.

Erik Weihenmayer is the only blind person to have climbed the "Seven Summits," the tallest peak on every continent. He has scaled the 3000 foot rock face of El Capitan, skied down the tallest peak in Europe, and guided Tibetan blind teenagers to 21,500 feet on the north side of Mt. Everest. Erik is also a prolific speaker and author of two books.

Jeff and Erik continue to share adventures and projects around the world, challenging themselves and spreading the message on the capabilities of blind individuals in everyday life.

Dana Welch has been traveling the world for several decades now and has developed a vast knowledge in the business of travel. Via the Travel Society travel agency, Dana has been associated with MountainVision for nearly a decade to provide our clients a smooth travel experience from planning to boarding, and all the details in between.

The Explorers Club is an international multidisciplinary professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research and the ideal that it is vital to preserve the instinct to explore. Since its inception in 1904, the Club has served as a meeting point and unifying force for explorers and scientists worldwide. Our headquarters is located at 46 East 70th Street in New York City.

Jeff was selected as a member of this exclusive club in 2009.

The American Alpine Club protect the places we climb, advocates for American climbers around the world, preserves climbing’s history and chronicles climbing achievement. The AAC’s ongoing commitment to inspiring and supporting climbers dates back to 1902, when the country’s leading climbers and conservationists banded together to form the Club.

Jeff has been a member of the AAC since 1997.

Telluride Adaptive Sports Program is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of people with disabilities by providing educational and recreational opportunities that develop life skills, encourage personal growth, and promote independence. TASP offers adaptive skiing, rafting, kayaking, cycling clinics and other activities that allow students to participate on an equal level with their family and friends in a safe, fun, outdoor environment. These challenging activities catalyze our students’ ability to become more active, productive members of their communities.

Jeff continues to work closely with TASP as they continue to develop summer and winter programs for physically challenged athletes.

Global Explorers is unique in the student travel industry. They are a nonprofit organization driven by their passion for sharing the most educational and life-changing travel experiences available. As a nonprofit, their programs offer a comprehensive, responsible travel experience designed to genuinely enhance the lives of their participants in the most meaningful way possible.

Jeff has participated in multiple GEX trips and projects around the globe as both a guide and medical officer.

Travelcology is a new portal for planning adventure travel trips that include impactful voluntourism experiences. Our model unites adventure travelers, nonprofit organizations, and corporations as equal stakeholders in a shared commitment to social responsibility through travel. Plan your next adventure travel trip by activity, nonprofit project type, region, or fellow traveler in our social network. Travelcology's portal is a developing platform through which this global community will be connected to realize these goals.

Many of the MountainVision Expedition local service projects are facilitated by our friends at Travelcology.

American Himalayan Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the people and ecology of the Himalaya. The Himalaya, roof of the world, is a magic place where the magnificence of the world's highest mountains is mirrored in the rugged beauty and unique culture of the people who live in their shadow. In these remote regions people often live without basic health care and education. Economic pressures have forced environmental degradation. And traditional ways of life are in danger of disappearing.

The American Himalayan Foundation was founded twenty-five years ago to respond to some of these pressing problems.  What we do is very basic: build schools, plant trees, train doctors, fund hospitals, take care of children and elderly, and restore sacred sites throughout the Himalayas.  We also assist and encourage Tibetans to rebuild and maintain their culture both in exile, and within Tibet. AHF supports projects that are on a human scale and that directly benefit people. We deeply respect our partners in the Himalayas and our work responds to their priorities and concerns. AHF supports and funds projects directly. We also join with other organizations in larger, cooperative endeavors. In every case, AHF projects involve local commitment and community participation.

Skis For Kashmir is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation formed by skiers and students from Colorado. With the help of the Guru Trust Foundation in Kashmir, India, S4K is working to promote ecologically and economically sustainable development as well as social equity in the historically war-torn region by introducing the joys of skiing to Kashmiri children of all backgrounds. The mission of Skis 4 Kashmir is to redistribute the excess of the US ski industry to Kashmiri slopes and offer ski instruction and environmental education to our participants.

World T.E.A.M Sports (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) uses the universal power of sports to create soul-stirring experiences by teaming disabled athletes with able-bodied athletes, forming a true TEAM Increase and promote inclusive sports opportunities for all people, especially reaching out to disabled people Organize and host innovative and challenging sporting events that encourage all individuals, especially those with disabilities, to participate in lifetime sports. Promote diversity and increase awareness, acceptance and integration of those with disabilities.

Jeff and Erik have participated in multiple World TEAM events including long distance road bike rides, marathons and adventure races.

Serac Adventure Film School is an instructional arena where fledgling adventure themed film students can learn from the best. Michael Brown and the Serac Adventure Film staff are always seeking out locations to provide an inspiring and challenging atmosphere to teach their students. Many of the Film School locations are in collaboration with MountainVision Expeditions including Kilimanjaro and the Super Inca Trail.

MVX continues to work closely with Michael and the Serac staff in developing future Adventure Fim Schools.

Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics is an national and international program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or climb. The program strives to educate all those who enjoy the outdoors about the nature of their recreational impacts as well as techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts.

Leave No Trace is best understood as an educational and ethical program, not as a set of rules and regulations.

National Federation of the Blind With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States.  The NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence.  It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind.

The NFB has been crucial in the success Erik and Jeff have shared on many of their expeditions. Their work is undoubtedly critical in pursuing the rights and capabilities that the blind and visually impaired community strive for.

La Sportiva's mission is to bring you the best technical footwear to explore the outdoors. For 80 years we have been producing innovative footwear and we are looking forward to the next 80 years. Produced and designed in a small mountain town at the foot of the Dolomites, La Sportiva supports 140 families in a unique and enviable environment. Everyday the mountains surround the people who handcraft your shoes. Being mountain based and family run allows us to draw on eight decades of experience handed down through the generations. With this heritage we can focus on the future and meld new technologies, ideas and innovation with our rich knowledge of shoe making to give you the most amazing products on the market. Products that let you go where you dream to go, do what you dream to do and live how you want to live.

Jeff has been apart of La Sportiva's athlete team since 2008 and will ALWAYS recommend their product for any MVX adventure.

Braille Without Borders is a wonderful school for blind children located in Lhasa, Tibet. Started by Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg, this organization has fostered hundreds of blind children throughout Tibet and created a sustainable atmosphere for empowering these children.

It was here that Jeff, Erik and the rest of the Blindsight team started their journey which later became the hugely popular documentary Blindsight.

Heather Lehman is a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist who has been in private practice in Boulder, Colorado since 2002.  She practices Deep Tissue Massage, Sports and Orthopedic massage, Prenatal massage as well as Relaxation massage.  She has an Associates of Occupational Studies degree in massage therapy and is an honors graduate of the Boulder College of Massage Therapy, as well as having been a teacher at BCMT. Her clientele includes many of Boulder’s professional athletes and active weekend warriors.

Heather has been critical in the healing process for Jeff and many local MVX clients over the years after many of our solid adventures. Inquire about her MountainVision referral reduced fee.

Paradox Sports provides inspiration, opportunities and adaptive equipment to the disabled community, empowering their pursuit of a life of excellenge through human-powered outdoor sports.

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