Legendary Speed Climber Ueli Steck Honored with 2015 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Nomination
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Richmond, Calif. (November 11, 2014) – Mountain Hardwear, creator of performance apparel and equipment that empowers outdoor athletes to live boldly, is pleased to announce that National Geographic has nominated Mountain Hardwear Athlete, Ueli Steck as a 2015 Adventurer of the Year.
Each year for the last decade National Geographic has searched the globe, seeking the most adventurous humans to honor. Each is selected for his or her remarkable achievement in exploration, adventure sports, conservation, and humanitarianism. This year’s award-winners embody the spirit of adventure in diverse ways – from an activist challenging the status quo, to a pair blind kayakers pushing the expected, and Mountain Hardwear’s own lightning-fast alpinist.
Ueli Steck is best known for his solo speed climbs of the infamous Eiger Nordwand, the Matterhorn, and more recently, the south face of Annapurna. It is Steck’s 2013 solo-climb of a notoriously dangerous, steep and difficult route on the south face of Annapurna’s 8,091-meter peak that garnered Steck National Geographic’s veneration. Steck’s climb was also awarded the 2014 Piolets d’Or, a prestigious award given annually to the most impressive ascents.
A Mountain Hardwear ambassador, Erik Weihenmayer, was also among those nominated for this year’s Adventurers of the Year. Weihenmayer and his kayak partner Lonnie Bedwell, both blind, descended the Grand Canyon to inspire others to transcend their own barriers.
National Geographic encourages its readers to cast their vote for one of the ten honorees for the People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year. Votes may be cast here, once each day until January 31, 2015. The People’s Choice winner will be announced in February 2015.
About Mountain Hardwear:
Mountain Hardwear is a leader in innovative, premium outdoor apparel, equipment and accessories. We celebrate bold ideas, the drive to challenge the edges of our potential, and the joy, friendships and personal growth that come from that endeavor. We work with era-defining athletes to develop lightweight, easy-to-use and incredibly well-crafted outdoor clothing and equipment. Mountain Hardwear, Inc., founded in 1993 and based in Richmond, CA, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Columbia Sportswear Company and distributes its products through specialty outdoor, running, and sporting goods retailers in the United States and 58 countries worldwide. www.mountainhardwear.com
For more information contact JAM Media Collective Julie Atherton at 415.839.7546 or julie@jamcollective.net
