Mountain Hardwear Announces 08 Gives Back Grants and New Youth Focus

Mountain Hardwear Inc. is pleased to announce the 2008 recipients of the company’s Gives Back Grant program as well as a new youth-centered focus for the program going forward. Now in its third year, the Gives Back grant program continues to grow in both programs and funding and is administered by a board of Mountain Hardwear employees.

“As we mature as a company, Mountain Hardwear recognizes that we need to cultivate an environment where young people will continue to have the opportunity to develop a passion for the outdoors. We are making a commitment as a company to taking a lead in nurturing future generations of outdoor enthusiasts for the benefit of their health and our industry. With that goal in mind, we have made a few adjustments to the Mountain Hardwear Gives Back program,” said Mike Wallenfels, Mountain Hardwear President.

The program will still include four of the original arms: Environmental, Outdoor Community, Recreational, and Employee. “Our intention is to continue to support the organizations that have been our Gives Back partners over the years by encouraging them to develop youth-oriented projects that we can embrace. In addition, we will be looking for new partners who focus on getting youth into the outdoors,” Wallenfels continued.

The new program criteria and the O8 grant recipients are as follows:

Environmental Partners – Programs working to keep wild spaces wild, healthy, and accessible.
American Himalayan Foundation
Conservation Alliance
Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies
Leave No Trace

Outdoor Community Partners – Programs that provide opportunities for people, especially young people, to experience the outdoors; also programs that support youth in the destination communities of these outdoor experiences.
Big City Mountaineers
CityWILD
HERA Foundation
Medicines Global
Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition
Women’s Wilderness Institute
Youth Enrichment Strategies (YES)


Recreation Partners – Programs that support a specific region or aspect of outdoor recreation or preserve a particular outdoor recreation culture. Programs with a youth emphasis will be given preference.
The Access Fund
American Alpine Club
American Hiking Society
American Mountain Guides Association
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Continental Divide Trail Alliance
Outdoor Industry Foundation
Pacific Crest Trail Association

Employee Partners – Mountain Hardwear employees may apply for grants to fund a project or for up to 40 hours of paid time off for volunteer work in a Gives Back program or a similar program that meets the above criteria.

In addition, Mountain Hardwear is granting three special one-time grants to honor the company’s athlete Babu Chiri Sherpa who was killed in an accident on Everest in 2001. The grants further education for children in Nepal.
Maya Foundation
Mountain Fund Himalaya House
Taksindu Social Welfare

More information about the Mountain Hardwear Gives Back program can be found at www.mountainhardwear.com/givesback



About Mountain Hardwear:
Mountain Hardwear makes cutting-edge mountaineering and outdoor equipment, apparel and accessories for the most extreme conditions. Mountain Hardwear was established in 1993 by a group of outdoor industry veterans and is based in Richmond, Calif. The company distributes its products through specialty outdoor and sporting goods retailers in the United States and over 40 countries worldwide. Mountain Hardwear has won numerous product and customer service awards since its inception, reflecting the company’s commitment and passion toward innovation. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Columbia Sportswear Company. For more information about Mountain Hardwear, visit the company’s Internet home page at www.mountainhardwear.com.