SAN FRANCISCO, CA, October 30, 2007 Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) announces that world-class climber and alpinist Conrad Anker has joined its Climbing for Kids 2008 benefit climb program as the honorary Climb Chairperson. The six-mountain benefit climb program will raise more than $600,000 for programs to give at-risk and under-privileged youth the opportunity to enjoy life-affirming experiences out in the wilderness.
The exceptional growth of the Climbing for Kids program (www.climbingforkids.org), thanks in part to top program sponsors Gregory, Columbia Sportswear and Clif Bar, will allow Bay Area Wilderness Training to expand its programs to many more at-risk youth. BAWTís mission is simple: to provide Bay Area youth service organizations with professional wilderness leadership training and quality outdoor equipment, so these adult leaders may safely lead youth in exploring the transformative power and beauty of Californiaís wilderness. Since 1999, BAWT has served more than 5,000 youth. Our benefit climb program continues to have massive appeal to beginning and experienced mountaineers from around the country,î comments Roger Miller, Bay Area Wilderness Trainingís Executive Director. ìWeíre excited to have Conrad Anker on board as the Climb Chairperson. With his support, the in-kind product donations of many leading companies in the outdoor industry, and the skills of our highly qualified mountaineering guides, BAWT has been able to get more and more at-risk and underprivileged youth into the wilderness.
My involvement with Bay Area Wilderness Training is very rewarding,î says Conrad Anker, the Climb Chair of the Climbing for Kids fundraising benefit climb. ìMany young people arenít able to escape the fear, anger, racism and violence of their urban communities. Iím eager to help get these deserving young people out on empowering outdoor adventures.
Participants in the Climbing for Kids benefit ascend one of six of the most sought after alpine climbs in North America. Each participant receives over $1,500 of free gear, from sponsors including Auclair, Atlas Snow-Shoe Co., Big Agnes, Clif Bar, Columbia, Gregory Mountain Products, Gu Sports, Julbo, Leki USA, Merrell, Outdoor Research, Pacific Outdoor Equipment, Princeton Tec, Teva, and Timberland.
About Conrad Anker
Alpinist, environmentalist and humanitarian, Conrad Ankerís specialty is climbing the most technically challenging terrain in the world. This quest has taken him from the mountains of Alaska and Antarctica to the big walls of Patagonia and Baffin Island and the massive peaks of the Himalaya. Conradís Antarctic experience spans a decade, with first ascents in three regions. In 1997, Conrad teamed up with Alex Lowe and Jon Krakauer to climb Rakekniven, a 2,500-foot wall in Queen Maud Land. In the Sentinel Range, Conrad climbed the Vinson Massif via three new routes. His climbs in Pakistanís Karakoram include the west face of Latok II along the ìTsering Mosongî route, which begins at the same height as the summit of Denali, climbs 26 pitches on a vertical cliff and then tops out at 23,342 feet. On Yosemiteís El Capitan he joined Steve Gerberding and Kevin Thaw to establish ìContinental Drift,î a steep nail-up on the right side.
In May of 1999, as a member of the Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition, Conrad discovered the body of George Mallory, the preeminent Everest explorer of the 1920s. The disappearance of Mallory and Sandy Irvine on their summit bid in June 1924 is one of climbingís great mysteries, and Conradís discovery and analysis of the find has shed new light on the pioneering climbs of the early expeditions. He is a board member of the Conservation Alliance, the American Alpine Club and the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation. For more information, vist www.conradanker.com
About BAWT
Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT), a non-profit project of San Franciscoís Earth Island Institute, facilitates outdoor experiences for youth in the greater Bay Area. BAWT provides professional training courses for adult youth workers in skills necessary to conduct safe, high quality wilderness trips for the young people they serve and a comprehensive library of outdoor gear leaders can utilize to outfit their trips free of charge. For more information visit www.bawt.org
PRESS RELEASE CONTACTS:
BAWT CONTACT:
Roger Miller
415-788-3666, x127
roger@bawt.org
Conrad Anker
406-282-7803
conrad@conradanker.com
Contributed by Kyle Macdonald