"Mountain Madness Media Kits and Press Releases"

PRESS RELEASE

Seventeen-year-old Johnny Collinson youngest person to climb Seven Summits

High school senior summits Antarctica’s Vinson Massif (16,067 ft.) with Seattle-based adventure company Mountain Madness

SEATTLE, Wash., Jan. 18, 2010 – Johnny Collinson summitted Everest in June 2009, but yesterday he achieved his ultimate goal. Collinson and three other clients reached the top of Antarctica’s Vinson Massif, officially making Collinson the youngest person to successfully climb the Seven Summits (including Carstenz). Mountain Madness organized the team, which includes Suzanne Al Houby, who hopes to be the first Palestinian Arab woman to complete the Seven Summits, and nine-time Everest guide Willie Benegas. The company operates highly acclaimed climbing schools, expeditions, trekking, and ski adventures around the world.

Born in Snowbird, Utah, Collinson began his mountaineering career with a summit of Mt. Rainier at age four. His quest for the Seven Summits began in January 2009 with a summit of Argentina’s Aconcagua, followed by Everest, Denali, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, and Carstenz.

From their high camp, the team had an eleven-hour round trip push to the summit of Vinson. They encountered sub-zero temperatures, icy slopes, and high winds, but Collinson was undeterred from skiing the descent.

Of his astonishing feat, Collinson writes on his blog: “…climbing to the top of the 7 Summits seems like it would be the greatest physical feat I could accomplish. Like anyone my age, it’s easy to become lost in the world of electronic distractions. I want to live life instead of watching it on TV.”

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Contact: Mark Gunlogson, President/Owner

206-937-8389 or 800-328-5925

mark@mountainmadness.com

PRESS RELEASE
Mountain Madness to provide Avalanche Awareness Talks

SEATTLE, October 15, 2009 - Mountain Madness, Inc. today announced the company will offer two avalanche awareness clinics supported by Backcountry Access (BCA) and The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE)

DATES: December 16^th, 2009, 7-9 pm

LOCATION: Feathered Friends, 119 Yale Ave North, Seattle, WA 98109. 206-292-2210

Guides from Mountain Madness and Steve Christie of BCA will be giving an “expanded” avalanche awareness talk. Key points of discussion will center on information gathering - how to access local avalanche bulletins, weather forecasts and travel conditions - and discuss how to observe “obvious clues” that indicate avalanche hazard. Modern companion rescue techniques will also be discussed.

These talks are appropriate for recreationists of all levels – snowshoers, skiers, snowboarders and snowmachiners – and will provide an opportunity for open exchange. Mountain Madness is an AIARE course provider – a vast majority of students throughout the U.S. attend AIARE courses. AIARE’s stated mission is to: “save lives through education.”

Suggested Donation of $5: Proceeds go to the Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center (FOAC).

About Mountain Madness:

Founded in 1984, Mountain Madness is a mountain adventure guide travel service and mountaineering school based in Seattle, Washington. The company provides guided expeditions and treks in Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania; as well as courses in mountaineering, rock climbing, avalanche safety, and skiing. For more information and media kit, visit www.mountainmadness.com

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Contact:

Jeremy Allyn, North America Program Director, Mountain Madness

206-937-8389 or 800-328-5925

nw@mountainmadness.com

Oct. 14th - Feathered Friends: 7:00 PM
(206) 292-2210
119 Yale Avenue N
Seattle, WA

Oct. 15th - The North Face 8:00 PM
(503) 727-0200
1202 NW Dawson St.
Portland, OR

SEATTLE, February 16, 2009 - Mountain Madness Inc. today announced the company will offer an avalanche awareness clinic supported by The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE)

LOCATION: Feathered Friends, 119 Yale Ave North, Seattle, WA 98109 (206) 292-2210

Due to very cold temperatures and heavy snowfall this winter, the time period from mid-December to early January saw 23 avalanche fatalities in North America. With fatalities this past weekend, the number of avalanche related deaths is now close to thirty. The objective of this talk is to raise public awareness of the risks associated with recreating in the winter backcountry of Washington State. Key points of discussion will center on information gathering - how to access local avalanche bulletins, weather forecasts and travel conditions; and discuss how to observe “obvious clues” that indicate avalanche hazard.

This free talk is appropriate for recreationists of all levels – snowshoers, skiers, snowboarders and snowmachiners – and will provide an opportunity for open exchange. Mountain Madness is an AIARE course provider – a vast majority of students throughout the U.S. attend AIARE courses. AIARE’s stated mission is to: “save lives through education.”

Founded in 1984, Mountain Madness is a mountain adventure guide travel service and mountaineering school based in Seattle, Washington. The company provides guided expeditions and treks in Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania, as well as courses in mountaineering, rock climbing, avalanche safety, and skiing. For more information and media kit, visit www.mountainmadness.com

On April 28th William Brant Holland was deported from Nepal after it was revealed he was in possession of a "Free Tibet" flag that he planned to unfurl on the summit of Mount Everest. Possession of this flag was in direct violation of restrictions imposed on climbing expeditions this season. Holland was not a member of our climbing team.

Mountain Madness does not agree with his action, nor did we suport it in anyway whatesoever as it had the potential to halt upward progress and close the mountain to all expeditions, it endangered the livelihood of many Nepali people that rely on employment offered by climbing expeditions, and it was in violation of well-known restrictions placed on all expeditions and documented in climbing permits issued by the Nepali government.

Mountain Madness will continue to adhere to the restrictions placed on expeditions this season.

Mountain Madness Completes New Ownership
Donates $10,000 to Room To Read as a Tribute to Christine Boskoff

SEATTLE, Feb. 6, 2008 – Mountain Madness Inc. today announced new ownership of the adventure guide company following the untimely death of its previous owner Christine Boskoff in 2006. As a final tribute to Boskoff, the company is also donating $10,000 to Room to Read, a non-profit organization devoted to improving children’s literacy in developing countries where Boskoff was a board member.

Mark Gunlogson, the company’s current president is the new majority owner, and minority owners include Mountain Madness board member David C. Jones. Gunlogson has been with Mountain Madness since 1993 and guided expeditions across the globe before he began managing the company’s business operations in 2000.

“Emotionally it was a difficult year with the loss of Chris and the long awaited closure to her search and recovery effort,” said Gunlogson. “We now look forward to continuing the vision that both Scott Fischer and Chris had for the company – to become the world’s leading mountain guide company and to share the excitement and beauty of the mountains with others. The company continues to grow and remain on the cutting edge of the guiding industry.” Fischer, a world-class high-altitude mountain climber who was highlighted in the best seller “Into Thin Air”, was the founder of the company.

Mountain Madness will donate $10,000 on behalf of Boskoff to Room to Read, which is currently constructing a school in Nepal in her honor. The donation will be used for the Room to Grow scholarship program for girls. Boskoff was a former board member of the non-profit organization that helps establish schools, libraries and other educational infrastructures in developing countries.

“Chris personified our mission to help provide children in developing countries around the world with access to a good education,” said John Wood founder and chief executive officer of Room to Read. “Chris was full of passion and love of the people and cultures she encountered on her many climbing expeditions, especially in Nepal. She also believed that education was one of the best ways to break the cycle of poverty. Through her contributions and that of Mountain Madness her spirit will continue to live on.”

Boskoff and her climbing partner Charlie Fowler, both accomplished high-altitude mountain climbers, perished in an avalanche in November 2006 while climbing in the Sichuan Province of China. Fowler’s body was recovered a month later; Boskoff was recovered in September 2007 by a team of Chinese and Tibetan climbers, along with Gunlogson.

"Mountain Madness is moving forward under the capable leadership of Mark Gunlogson and the Mountain Madness team," said David C. Jones, chair of Mountain Madness board of directors. "The company remains committed to the mountain spirit that was exemplified by both Chris Boskoff and Scott Fisher by providing all of our clients the highest quality mountain experience possible. We are pleased to report that 2007 was another banner year, and we are excited about the future."

About Mountain Madness:
Founded in 1984, Mountain Madness is a mountain adventure guide travel service and mountaineering school based in Seattle, Washington. The company provides guided expeditions and treks in Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania, as well as courses in mountaineering, rock climbing, avalanche safety, and skiing. For more information and media kit, visit www.mountainmadness.com

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Contact:
Mark Gunlogson
Mountain Madness
206-937-8389 or 800-328-5925
markg@mountainmadness.com
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Mountain Madness began with a dream to achieve serious, high-quality guiding and instruction, and connecting our customers with their own personal mountaineering and trekking goals. With more than twenty years of experience, this dream has come true. In 2007 we served more than 900 clients on trips as short as one day of rock climbing to reaching the summit of Mount Everest.

Our roots are in Asia, where Scott Fischer, Mountain Madness founder, scaled the world’s highest and most challenging peaks. He successfully summited both K2 and Mt. Everest without oxygen, and was the first American to summit Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world. Scott believed that the discovery and challenge of mountaineering could transform people’s lives. In May of 1996, in the now well-known “Into Thin Air” story, Scott would lose his life on Everest during a savage storm. His absence will forever be felt. But, in addition to a legacy that inspired others, he left a company poised to share the adventure of climbing and trekking with those ready to jump in.

As 1997 closed, Christine Boskoff became the owner of the company. Along with Scott, she was among the elite of high altitude climbers- but she was a female minority amongst the male dominated sport, which made her all the more notable. For many though, her inspiration came not only from her climbing accomplishments as a woman, but from a decision to follow her dreams. Christine left a career as an aeronautical engineer not only to pursue her dreams to climb the highest peaks in the world, she successfully climb six of the world’s fourteen 8,000 meter peaks, but also to continue with Scott’s dream of sharing the passion and excitement of the mountains and their culture through Mountain Madness.

Under Christine’s management, the company continued to expand on Scott Fisher’s dream of connecting people to the transforming power of mountaineering and trekking - with a renewed commitment to safety, teaching important mountaineering skills, and broadening its adventure travel offerings to include a new genre of trips: “adventure treks” that include both trekking and climbing options. Sadly, Christine and well-known American climber Charlie Fowler, died in an avalanche in the fall of 2007 in the Sichuan Province of China.

Christine and Scott lived life to its fullest and shared their exuberance with as many as they could possibly reach. Their loss of course will forever leave its mark on the company as a business. But their spirit lives on at Mountain Madness and will carry the company into continued success in connecting its clients to exciting outdoor adventures. Now, under the leadership of Mark Gunlogson, the company continues to grow and offer not only the best guides available, but also cutting edge trips that will challenge not only climbers, but also trekkers looking to notch up the adventure level.
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For trekkers that want to take a few extra steps closer to the peaks but do not aspire to become full-fledged mountaineers, we’d like to introduce you to this unique program. Our guides will take you to places you never dreamed of and not offered with typical trek itineraries and along the way whet your appetite for higher places. These sampler trips offer the skills and experience to move higher in the mountains to explore the glaciers and summits not offered in standard itineraries.

THE FIRST STEP - These trips offer participants with little or no backpacking and trekking experience the chance to visit unimaginable places without the need for mountaineering skills.

Tanzania - Kilimanjaro: A Mountain Madness classic to the highest point in Africa!
Nepal - Everest Base Camp: Includes a hiking ascent of 18,450 foot Kala Pattar
Peru - Inca Trail: Trekking over a nearly 14,000 foot pass to the legendary Machu Picchu
Chile - Patagonia: Multi-sport trip with trekking, kayaking, and glacier exploration

THROUGH THE GATE AND ONTO THE GLACIERS - With instruction provided during the trip, participants with no climbing experience can further explore the mountains, traversing glaciers, crossing passes, and enjoy even more breathtaking views. These trips have trek only or trek and climbing options, so you choose where your limits are without the commitment needed found on climbing expeditions, but on each adventure you’ll get up close and personal with glaciers.

Peru - Cordillera Blanca Trek & Climb: Our showcase trip with three beginner climbs
Ecuador - Cotopaxi Trek & Climb: Condors, haciendas, trekking peaks, & option to 19,348’
Washington – Mt. Olympus Trek & Climb: Amazing wilderness, the Blue Glacier, and climb
Bolivia - The Trans-Andean Trek & Climb: Coming in 2009; from the Andes to cloud forest!

TO THE SUMMIT - With experience gained from “The First Step” and “Onto the Glaciers” trekkers can easily reach the next level. These trips include instruction and the chance to ascend a glaciated summit of a major peak.

Russia - Mount Elbrus: Excellent intro to glacier travel and a Seven Summit climb
Washington & South America - Level I courses: Take the leap and get the needed skills
Washington - Mount Baker Slow Boat: Take your time on this classic, we add an extra day
Nepal – Everest Base Camp with Island Peak: Trek and climb classic to over 20,000 feet
Mexico Volcanoes: Reach the summit of the third highest peak in North America
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