Clark Roberts was only 18 years old when he received the news he would eventually lose his eyesight.

An avid outdoorsman and skier, Roberts wanted to spend what time he had left outside. When he eventually lost his sight at age 24, Lost Trail Powder Mountain was the last ski area he ever saw.

Now 50 years since his diagnosis, Roberts returned to ski Lost Trail Powder Mountain on March 2 and celebrated what he called his “gift of sight lost.”

“50 years ago I sat in a doctor’s office and listened to a doctor tell me as an 18-year-old freshman that I was losing my eyesight. He turned my world upside down,” Roberts said at a gala last October.

Today, Roberts said he has “ambitions and a love of life that comes from accepting my God-given gift of sight loss.”

Roberts, 68, of Bellevue, is the executive director and founder of Ultimate Vision, a nonprofit that aims to build leaders through kindness, compassion and empathy, that challenge people to overcome adversity. Roberts runs the nonprofit alongside his wife, Karrie.

Over the last 32 years, Roberts has shared his messages with everyone from preschoolers to corporate executives. His work has taken him inside many schools, including in the Snoqualmie Valley. Roberts recently spoke at Timber Ridge Elementary for the start of Empower Youth Network’s Kindness Month.

Since losing his sight, resources for those with sight loss are still scarce, Roberts said in a press release. Ultimate Vision recently launched a new program called Insight, where Clark walks alongside people who are losing their sight, providing tools, resources, and encouragement.

The ski trip is Roberts’ latest venture. Since losing his sight, he has continued to be an outdoor enthusiast. He is gearing up for his eleventh Seattle-to-Portland bike ride.