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Kit DesLauriers Becomes First Person to Ski Seven Summits, First Woman to Ski Everest
San Leandro, CA, October 20, 2006— The North Face, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, today announced The North Face athletes Kit DesLauriers and Jimmy Chin successfully summited Mount Everest (29,035 feet) via the Southeast Ridge on October 18, 2006, at 10:54 a.m., local Nepal time. This summit marks the first successful autumn attempt in four years and designates Kit DesLauriers as the first person to successfully ski all seven summits (the highest peak on each of the seven continents). She also becomes the first American and first woman to ski from the Everest summit.
Shortly after DesLauriers skied down the Lhotse Face on her return to Basecamp, she wrote in an email, “We all agreed that it was the most serious ski descent of our lives.”
This was DesLauriers’ first Everest summit, and Chin’s third. They were accompanied on the expedition by: Rob DesLauriers, Kit’s husband; Everest veteran Dave Hahn; and a team led by Wally Berg of Berg adventures. The team arrived in late August and spent several weeks trekking to Everest Basecamp, establishing routes, and acclimatizing before the successful Summit Day.
Joe Flannery, Vice President of Marketing for The North Face, was one of many friends, followers, family members, and fans who eagerly awaited daily dispatches from the mountain. Afterward, he expressed boundless excitement. “Kit, Jimmy, and the crew redefined what is possible on Everest and in ski mountaineering. They had the courage and talent to dream bigger than ever, and then they made it happen. It’s incredible.”
Prior to this expedition, there had been only 15 ski-descent attempts from the Everest summit. DesLauriers and Chin, who both live in Jackson, Wyoming, brought impressive credentials to the slopes of Everest.
DesLauriers is a two-time women’s world freeskiing champion. She was the first American woman to climb and ski from the summit of Denali, Alaska, the first woman to ski the north side of Mount Elbrus, Russia, the first woman to ski Mount Aspiring, New Zealand, and the third woman to climb and ski the Grand Teton in Wyoming. Most recently DesLauriers has added a successful ascent and ski of Mount Vinson, Antarctica, and Aconcagua, Argentina.
Chin had summited Everest two previous times and is a veteran of several other expeditions in China, Pakistan, Tibet, and Argentina.
For more information on Kit DesLauriers, Jimmy Chin and the expedition, please visit Berg Adventures International at http://www.bergadventures.com. For information on DesLauriers, Chin and the rest of The North Face athlete team, in addition to The North Face Expeditions, please check out www.thenorthface.com.
About The North Face®
The North Face, a subsidiary of VF Corporation, was founded in 1966. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes and explorers. The company's products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains. Additional information about The North Face® can be found on the company’s website, www.thenorthface.com. |
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