Weathers was born in a military family. He attended college in Wichita Falls, Texas, married, and had two children. In 1986, he enrolled in a mountaineering course and later decided to try to climb the Seven Summits. He considered Richard Bass, the first man to climb the Seven Summits, an inspiration who made summitting Everest seem possible for regular guys. In 1993, Weathers was making a guided ascent on Vinson Massif, where he encountered Sandy Pittman, whom he would later meet on Everest in 1996.