International climbing guide firm Alpine Ascents has contracted with Sherpa-Owned Outdoor Clothing Company Sherpa Adventure Gear to Outfit Their
Rainier Guides for the 2008 Climbing Season.
(Seattle, Wa – May, 2008) For the 2008 climbing season, all Alpine Ascents climbing guides on Mt. Rainier will be outfitted in clothing from Sherpa Adventure Gear. In addition, Sherpa Adventure Gear will be providing product to Alpine Ascents for use as client gifts. By doing this, the companies hope to create more awareness of the Sherpas themselves, as well as the Sherpa Adventure Gear (SAG) Brand, which donates a portion of all proceeds to Alpine Ascents non-profit Sherpa Education Fund.
Although climbers pay tens of thousands of dollars to climb peaks like Everest, and the Sherpa play a critical role in the success of most climbing teams, they rarely receive the type of notoriety and wages foreign guides are accustomed to. Many live in or near poverty, and their families and children suffer when a Sherpa guide is injured or killed on a climb. Currently, tourism accounts for approximately four percent of this desperately poor country's GDP.
Both companies have a long history of working to support the Sherpa people and raise their profile in the US in a variety of ways. In addition to running the Sherpa Education Fund, Alpine Ascents regularly takes climbing clients to the top of Everest and other peaks in Nepal (and worldwide) with the help of Sherpa guides.
Sherpa Adventure Gear was founded in 2002 by Tashi Sherpa, nephew of one of the Sherpas on Sir Edmund Hillary’s famed Everest climb, specifically as a way to help raise awareness for, and give back to, the unsung Sherpa heroes of Everest. In addition to donating a portion of proceeds to the Sherpa Education Fund, the company maintains offices and manufacturing in Nepal, purchases products directly from Sherpa artisans in Namche Bazaar, and supports a team of Sherpa Athletes and Product Ambassadors.
Alpine Ascents was founded in 1986 by Todd Burleson out of his love of traveling and climbing, and knack for guiding. Today, the Seattle-based company provides international guiding services to climb many of the toughest peaks in the world including the Seven Summits (the highest peaks on each of the seven continents) as well as their Alpine Ascents Mountaineering School. Their non-profit foundation raises funds for schooling Sherpa children from remote areas of Nepal, where access to education is extremely limited.
To learn more about these companies visit www.sherpaadventuregear.com and www.AlpineAscents.com. For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Tashi Sherpa (SAG) at (425) 251-0760 or Gordon Janow (Alpine Ascents) at 206-378-1927.
