Vern at the 'finish line' in Pismo Beach, CA.

Wow, it seems like only yesterday that our Product Regulatory Manager, Vern Schrum, strapped on his cycling shoes and started peddling in pursuit of a life-long goal – to ride his bike coast to coast. Well, earlier this week he did it.

Ostensibly tracing the ACA’s Southern Tier Route, Vern set off in St. Augustine, FL, in late September and eventually completed his journey 3,382 miles and 61 days later in Pismo Beach, California, near where he grew up and where family and friends were eagerly waiting to congratulate him.

Vern embarked on the trip in part to raise awareness on and funds for cancer research (he had lost his own father to the disease at early age) and in part to complete a meaningful goal before hitting the big 5-0. It’s evident from reading his final post reflecting on his journey that the trip has had a major impact on him that will last far beyond this week:

My emotions when I started were of excitement, anticipation and I would be lying if I didn’t say some fear of the unknown. But if we didn’t attempt things we were afraid of we wouldn’t get to experience the excitement of life. I wouldn’t have seen the cotton fields of Alabama, the cliff dwellings of Texas, the pecan trees of New Mexico and many other amazing places our country has to offer. The thing, however, that I will never forget is the kindness and generosity of the people I met along the way. Strangers who would shake my hand and wish me luck or ask to say a prayer with me or invite me to stay at their home and have dinner with their family. The kindness I received was amazing. There are truly kind people in this world. If you have ever thought about traveling by bicycle and life provides you with the opportunity, take it. It will be the adventure of a lifetime.

Vern, your pursuit of your goal has been a huge inspiration to everyone at the company. Congratulations on achieving it!

Where it began - St. Augustine Beach, FL.

For a recap of and great images from Vern’s bike trip, check out his blog on crazyguyonabike. To donate to cancer research, visit Vern’s dedicated page on the American Cancer Society’s Family & Friends’ site.

Type 1 high altitude mountaineer and AMK-sponsored adventure athlete Will Cross provides trip planning advice for athletes with diabetes who are prepping for a major expedition or climb.

1.  Insulin storage – Wrap the bottles or delivery devices in aluminum foil and mark using sports tape. This will insulate and protect the insulin from a hard knock. Use a small coffee thermos to protect from the heat or the cold.
2. Foot care – Inspect your feet daily and use a foot powder or foot cream, like HealthiFeet, recommended by a podiatrist. Clean socks are imperative. Clean your nails and between the toes with the alcohol swab used for injections.
3.  Eye care – Wear good shades with polarized lenses; spend the money to protect those retinas!
4.  Skin care – Take some good body lotion if prone to dry skin to avoid cracked skin and infections. Use an SPF 30 sunscreen with UV A and B protection when on water, snow or in the mountains.
5.  Hypoglycemia – This condition occurs when your blood sugar is too low. It can cause fatigue, seizures and unconsciousness. Use energy gels such as PowerGel, Gu, or Cliff Shots, which offer a predictable amount of carbs in a fast absorbing form and easy-to-carry packet. Pack enough for the duration of your trip — and then some.
6. Hyperglycemia – This happens when your blood sugar is too high. Left untreated over several hours and it can lead to severe dehydration, a swelling of the brain and possibly a coma. Drink fluids to flush out the sugar and ketones. Ketones are the poison produced by the kidneys, which prevents glucose from being broken down and used as energy. This will require extra cooking fuel for melting liquids which may have become frozen during the day, so plan ahead. You may have to delay your start time in order to avoid stressing the body while blood sugar is high.
7. Partner – Choose wisely. Select a partner who is well informed about your diabetes and knows how to recognize and treat the highs and lows. Do not go solo. Make sure they carry the energy gels too.
8. Travel – When traveling abroad, have an MD note in the local language that explains why you have needles, strips, a blood meter and so on. Most language teachers and some computer programs can translate for you. Do not place your meds in the cargo hold of a plane as they will freeze. Instead, split your load in half and have your partner take some and you the rest. If a bag is then lost or stolen you still have your meds. Take extra scripts in the event that everything is lost, delayed or stolen. Consider wearing a Med Alert bracelet or necklace with internationally recognized Med Alert sign and contact info. If you pass out, this will be the only clue for an unsuspecting helper.
9.  Blood testing – Test early and often when in a new environment, time zone or activity. Write down the results, record the new diet and monitor trends so that you can function at your best. In the cold, protect the strips and device deep in your sleeping bag and warm it up under your arms when ready to test. During the day, use urine strips; at night, use a testing machine in the security and warmth of a tent. Bring a back-up device.
10. Mental preparation – Living with diabetes while trying to accomplish a major physical feat requires constant balance and understanding of one’s energy use. That takes a lot of mental discipline. Identify what you love and need to accomplish in life and go after it to the best of your ability; recognize that you may not achieve the goal but that you will at least be in the hunt. Trying is what matters.

Will Cross is a world-class adventurer, who has ascended to the highest peaks on all seven continents. Cross is the first American with diabetes to summit Mt. Everest. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age nine.

Team Tecnu at finish line of Adventure Racing World Champs Race

AMK is proud to announce that our favorite group of adventure athletes, Team Tecnu Extreme/Kailash (featuring AMK’s own Kyle Peter), battled the globe’s top-ranked athletes on the rugged terrain of Tasmania to clinch 12th place at the 2011 Adventure Racing World Championships.

This was no small feat considering the epic nature of Australia’s biggest expedition race and the team is still beaming with pride at their achievement – one that now ranks them as the top team in North America.

Team Tecnu competed against 80 other four-person teams from around the world. The ‘Tassie’ course, which consisted of 700 km of extremely challenging geography, took the team six days and 19 hours to complete.

“It was one of the most beautiful and diverse races of my life,” said team captain and lead navigator Kyle Peter.

For the Tassie World Champs race Peter assembled an international dream team made up of Brazilian and Tecnu veteran Marco Amselem, seasoned American adventure racer Ryan VanGorder and Canadian Liza Pye. The team battled sand dunes, freezing temperatures, aggressive white water rapids and knee-deep mud all while navigating their way to the finish line on Tasmania’s beautiful Northwest coast.

“We had a great race,” says Peter, “and it has only made us more excited for the upcoming 2012 season where we hope to keep on moving up the ranking board.”

Be sure to follow Tecnu Extreme Adventure Racing for the latest team news, including the upcoming announcement of their 2012 racing schedule.

Congratulations Team Tecnu!

AMK's Kyle Peter (pictured second from left) & Team Tecnu at Finish Line of Gold Rush Mother Lode

The team, which AMK also sponsors and supplies various survival and first aid items to, finished the race more than four hours ahead of second place Dart-Nuun and Team Gearjunkie.com/YogaSlackers, which took third place. The four-day long event saw four-person co-ed teams attempt to cross a 275 mile (442.5km) course of rocky, challenging terrain in the Sierra Mountains of California.

Said Team Tecnu’s Kyle Peter, “Thank goodness for AMK’s Blister Medic, Ultralight/Watertight .7 and SOL Survival Blankets. Believe it or not you get hurt, develop lots of blisters and are really cold while traversing the Sierra Mountains in 3 days on 1.5 hours of sleep!”

Taking top spot in the race means Team Tecnu automatically qualifies as the only U.S. team that will participate in the upcoming World AR Championships, which kick off on Oct. 31st in Tasmania. Way to go Kyle!… Now back to work.

Adventure Medical Kits is happy to announce that it is outfitting Field & Stream Adventurer Jim Baird on his snowmobile expedition through the northern Canadian wilderness. AMK has equipped Baird, a wilderness travel expert from Toronto, with a variety of essential medical and survival gear, including the Expedition Medical Kit, the Trauma Pak with QuikClot, and the SOL Thermal and SOL Emergency Bivvies; all are indispensable items, given the remote terrain that the 29-year-old will be traveling.

Baird’s 15-day snowmobile odyssey, which kicked off in late March, will take him from a small town on the Mackenzie River in the North West Territories, up a tributary of the river to Great Bear Lake (where he’ll fish through the ice for monster lake trout), then overland from the northeast corner of Great Bear to the headwaters of the best Arctic char river in all of Canada — The Coppermine.

From there, Baird will ride down until he reaches Kugluktuk, a tiny Inuit town located on the Arctic Ocean. He’ll refuel in Kugluktuk and continue north across the sea ice until he reaches a settlement called Uluhoktok, where he’ll catch up with an old Inuit polar bear hunter he knows from previous expeditions. Baird will spend the next few days with the wise hunter, comparing notes about surviving long-distance trips by snowmobile in the Arctic, before flying home. His sleds will be shipped by barge back to Yellowknife once the ice breaks up in the early summer.

Baird will be filming his trip (the first of three extreme adventures he’ll be making on behalf of Field & Stream) and blogging about his experiences as he goes. You can check out Jim’s travels by visiting  F&S Adventurer.

Be safe, Jim.

Only 13 more peaks to go!

Kyle Peter, Adventure Medical Kits’ East Coast sales manager, adventure racing pro par excellence and all-round thrill seeking freak, is at it again. This weekend Kyle is attempting to scale 15 peaks in Desolation Wilderness, the wilderness area located along the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Kyle and two friends, Dennis Wilkinson and Mats Jansson, kicked off their journey early this morning. The loop the three will be traveling covers 35 rugged miles and about 15,000 vertical feet. The 15 peaks they will be scaling range from 8,600 ft to 10,000 ft in elevation.

Kyle will be posting pics and updates throughout  the weekend here. You can also track the trio, who are well equipped with AMK gear, including  Ultralight .7 kits, Heatsheets Emergency Bivvies and QuikClot Sport, at TrackMe360.com.

Best of luck, Kyle!

For the second year in a row, Rebecca Rusch took top spot among women in the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, one of the most grueling and high-profile races on the mountain bike tour, which was held in and around Leadville, CO, this past weekend.

Rebecca’s winning time of 7:47:35 set a new course record, destroying the previous record, held by Laurie Brandt, by more than 11 minutes. The next closest racer behind Rusch was Amanda Carey, who came in at 8:12:54.

“Another win at Leadville is a huge. This race is just unreal,” said Rusch quoted in a post on Bike World News. “I’ve been training with this being my main goal all year. Still, I surprised myself.  I wanted the course record, but I didn’t expect to beat it by 11 minutes. This was the most painful day I had on a bike, but it was worth it.”

Congratulations Rebecca!

Many of us at Adventure® Medical Kits just got back from another busy but great Outdoor Retailer Summer Market — the trade show for leading outdoor manufacturers and retailers, which takes place the first week of August in Salt Lake City, UT.  Prior to and during the show, AMK was recognized by OR’s organizers as one of its ’40+ Legacy Partners’. The initiative, which included special call-outs on OR’s website and signage on the convention floor, honored AMK as one of only 54 companies that has exhibited at Outdoor Retailer for at least 40 shows. Below is a summary of other highlights that occurred during OR:

SOL ORIGIN & CORE LITE MANIA!

Buyers and media alike couldn’t get enough of the company’s first ever line of Essential Tools, the SOL Origin and Core Lite. The Origin was prominently featured on the local Salt Lake ABC affiliate and Park City Television, among a plethora of other media outlets. Representing AMK’s first entry into hard goods, the Origin and Core Lite — which will also be the first products to be released under the newly minted SOL brand — offer a multitude of survival components that will save your bacon, if you’re lost, hurt or stranded in the outdoors. Among other items, both the Origin and the Core Lite come with a fully featured knife — a folding AUS-8 locking blade with easy-grip handle that includes a built-in LED light and single-frequency, pea-less whistle. Both products will hit store shelves later this year — just in time for the holiday rush!

AMK ATHLETES IN THE BOOTH

Plenty of AMK’s athletes and other industry notables stopped by the booth, including International Mountain Guides‘ partners Eric Simonson and George Dunn. George recently became the first person to ever summit Mt. Rainier 500 times. An amazing milestone. Congratulations George! Only 500 more till you reach 1000, right?  Women’s World Mountain Bike Champ Rebecca Rusch also hung out in the booth. Rebecca was preparing to compete in the Leadville 100, which is coming up this weekend. Rebecca won the event in ’09 and is gunning for the two-pete this year. Best of luck, Rebecca!

Rebecca Rusch hanging out in the AMK booth

Throughout the show, AMK was also helping to raise money for Epicocity’s Elephant Ivory Project, which aims to end the practice of elephant poaching in Africa. National Geographic Channel’s Young Explorer grant winner Trip Jennings and the Epicocity Crew are currently raising funds for a forensic biology expedition to the remote jungle of the Democratic Republic of Congo this fall, with the goal of saving wild elephants from the illegal ivory trade. You can help the cause directly, by donating money to the project here.

During the OR show, AMK also donated DEET-free Natrapel® 8 hour insect repellent and Ultralight/Watertight medical kits to the Four Corners School of Outdoor Education (FCS), a Monticello, Utah-based non-profit organization that provides outdoor education on and about the Colorado Plateau located in parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. According to executive director and founder Janet Ross, the Natrapel® 8 hour was sure to be an indispensable item for the trip the FCS was organizing for a group of outdoor industry leaders to the Canyonlands and Arches National Park, following the conclusion of OR. To learn more about the great work the FCS does, go here.

It’s hard to believe it already came and went, but it was another amazing Summer OR show for Adventure® Medical Kits. Now the real work begins, getting the new products onto retailers’ shelves – oh yeah, and preparing for Winter OR 2011. It’s, like, only six months away!

Look for AMK gear at the BSA's National Jamboree

Adventure® Medical Kits is proud to announce that it has donated gear to the Boy Scouts of America’s 100th Anniversary National Jamboree, which is taking place this week at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.

Working in concert with Scout Troops 364 and 361, of Madison, AL, AMK is supporting the Jamboree with the donation thousands of samples of DEET-free Natrapel® 8 hour insect repellent wipes, which will distributed along with “Be Safe” outdoor first aid pamphlets in goodie bags to scout leaders. In addition, AMK is also providing a variety of its medical kits, survival packs and hygiene products, including the alcohol-free Adventure® Hand Sanitizer and Fresh Bath Travel Wipes.

Throughout the Jamboree, Troops 364 and 361 will use the AMK products to teach four outdoor merit badges — for camping, hiking, backpacking and cooking – to scouts in attendance. All of the AMK gear will also be showcased in designated areas as “suggested products” that scouts should pack when camping, backpacking or hiking.

Separately, AMK is also shipping a significant amount of Natrapel® 8 hour wipes to the Scouts’ New York City Jamboree, which will take over part of Times Square from July 30 – August 1st. NYC-based outdoor retailer Tents & Trails will hand out the wipes on behalf of AMK along with prizes for troops, including AMK’s Day Tripper medical kit and stainless steel SOL Survival Bottle.

Natrapel 8 hour wipes to be distributed to Scouts at Times Square Jamboree

Whatever Jamboree you’re attending this week, be sure to make it a safe one!

Best — Adventure® Medical Kits.

Over the course of the race runners climb 18,000 feet and descend a total of 23,000 feet on mountain trails before they cross the finish line. Runners finishing before the 30 hour time limit for the race receive a bronze belt buckle; those who finish in under 24 hours receive a silver belt buckle. Kyle, an accomplished adventure racer and member of Team Tecnu, snagged a bronze buckle, finishing in 169th place at a time of 26:35. Read below his account of the challenges he experienced during his first stab at an ultra marathon:

This was by far the highest quality event I have ever competed in, and that includes Ironman and Primal Quest. After the race, I definitely developed a new outlook on the pace of adventure racers – Adventure Racers, we are slow!

As for the toll running 100 miles took on me physically, overall my feet held up pretty well, especially considering I used only one pair of socks and shoes the whole race. By the time I reached the finish line, though, my quads and Achilles were both shot and my left knee was aching.

The biggest challenge by far was running the course’s long steep descents. They really tore me apart and forced me to walk down hills in the latter half of the race. At mile 45 I had to walk a steep descent at a snail’s pace after I had been descending for over four hours. I sat down a couple times (for 10-15 minutes each), once on a rock at mile 45 when I was crawling and actually started hobbling back to the last aid station to quit, and again at mile 85.

Mentally and physically, the lowest of lows for me in the race came between miles 82-85. That’s when I needed to regroup, and get my calves and ankles massaged at the aid station.

WHAT I’LL DO DIFFERENTLY FOR THE 2011 WESTERN STATES 100
Running 800 – 1,000 foot descents multiple times in a long run just doesn’t cut it for downhill run training for the Western States 100. I will need to get into the high mountains and do 5,000 foot descents on tired quads.

The experience of running 100 miles went a long way, in terms of showing me how I need to better calibrate my pacing, food in-take and mental approach. I think that making adjustments in all of these areas could shave 2.5 hours off my time.

In terms of pacing, when I felt good I ran how I should in a 100 miler, but that’s the exact moment when I should have even gone slower. When you feel good and comfortable, dial it down a couple of notches until mile 60 and then open it up. While I did try to do this my energy level began to wane by mile 82. I was only 20 minutes off the 24 hour pace at that point — when the wheels came off — which added two more hours to my time.

INJURIES & AILMENTS
I really need to heal my Achilles Tendonitis, even if it means taking a good portion of 2011 off. Oh and next time, I have to make sure I don’t start the race with a cold. That didn’t help my energy level at all.

By far this was the toughest race I have ever participated in, but I loved almost every minute of it. Traveling in the back country, with snow on the ground, from Lake Tahoe to Auburn was unreal, even though I felt like I was running in circles out there. Also, having to take the ferry across a river because high water made it impossible to cross on our own, was definitely a first for me during a race.

I will definitely be back to claim that Silver buckle in 2011!

–Kyle Peter

At  Adventure Medical Kits, periodically we ask top athletes what essential items they pack before competing in their particular sport or activity.

This week we asked three-time World 24 Hour Mountain Bike Champion Rebecca Rusch, who also happens to be a licensed EMT, what she stows before heading out for a mountain bike race. Here’s her can’t-leave-home-without-it list:

Bike. “Sometimes two bikes so I have a back up.  Which bike I bring depends on the course, but it’s usually the Specialized S-Works Era or the Specialized Stumpjumper Carbon 29er hardtail.”

Bike repair stuff. “Extra tires, tubes, pump, tools, chain, lube, brake pads, etc. I try to be fairly self sufficient and assume that there might not be a bike shop or mechanic available where I am going, so I bring quite a bit of extra repair stuff.  I guess this goes back to my adventure racing days.”

Clothing. “For appropriate conditions and then some:  rain gear, sun gear, cold weather gear, extra socks, gloves, shorts, sunglasses, Buff for my head/neck.”

Shower cap and surgical gloves. “As emergency cold weather items.  These fit right into my saddle bag on my bike and have saved me more than once.”

Pre-race, post race and race nutrition. “I bring all of my own race food because you never know what you will be able to get when traveling and the fuel that you put into your body is a direct link to your output.  Mostly Hammer Nutrition items including vitamins, bars, gels and recovery drink for after the race.  I make myself drink a recovery drink before I can toast a celebratory beer.”

Suunto T6c watch and heart rate monitor. “So I can record the work and re-live the experience after the fact.”

Adventure Medical Kit. “Usually a hybrid, semi-customized kit with chamois cream, sunscreen, anti inflammatory, anti-histamine, wound cleaning/closure items, antiboitic cream and tablets, asthma medications, kinesiology tape and any specific medications for where I’m traveling such as anti malaria pills for certain parts of the world, Diamox for very high altitude trips, etc.”

Rusch favors AMK's New 2.32 oz Ultralight/Watertight .3 kit

Foam roller. “This is key for cheap massage and keeping my muscles loose and supple for racing.”

Red Bull Energy shots. “Little tiny 2 oz shots that travel really well and can fit in with my race gear.  This is my motivation when I have none.”

Cell phone. “Because it’s mandatory to Twitter, Facebook and tell everyone what’s going on and I need it as an alarm clock so I don’t miss the race start.  I’m not a good morning person, so I have to be certain I’ll wake up in time for the race.”

iPod. “For relaxing during travel and in the hotel (especially if I have loud neighbors and really want to get a good night’s sleep before the race).”

Andy. “My small travel gnome who goes along with me for good luck.”

Rebecca Rusch is a three-time World Solo 24 hour Mountain Bike Champion. Her next race is The Wood River Short Track Series in Hailey, ID.

Viewed from the summit, IMG climbers take the final few steps to the top of Mt. Everest, 29,035'. (photo: Willie Benegas)

Check out the piece below courtesy of the Adventure Blog.

As expected, the winds died, the sky cleared, and the weather window opened on schedule on Everest today, giving climbers access to the summit from both sides of the mountain. There appears to have been a lot of summits, although as of this writing, I haven’t heard an estimate yet. There were however, two summits of note that I wanted to touch on this morning.

First, on the North Side, 13-year old Jordan Romero successfully reached the top of Everest, setting a new record for the youngest person to accomplish that feat. Jordan has received a ton of media attention prior to the climb, and is sure to receive a lot more today, and while I’m definitely not in favor of these young kids climbing 8000 meter peaks, I’m glad that his climb is over, and he is down safe today. I want to extend a congratulations to Jordan and his whole team. He now has just Mt. Vinson in Antarctica to summit to nab all of the Seven Summits. He’ll head for that peak in the fall.

Apa Sherpa also topped out on the mountain, via the South Side, claiming his 20th summit of the mountain. Apa reached the summit at 8:34 AM local time today, extending his own record for most times on top of the world. Apa is climbing to raise awareness of his own charity, the Apa Sherpa Foundation and to raise awareness of climate change. Congratulations to Apa as well!

In addition, Eric Simonson from International Mountain Guides posted these updates over the weekend.

May 23rd:

All 15 IMG climbers and guides, and also their 15 sherpas climbing today, have now reached the summit and are on the way down. All that patience has paid off with a gorgeous summit day and not too much wind up high. We are super proud of all these climbers and wish them a safe trip down. The second IMG team is making good progress up to the Col from Camp 3 in preparation for their summit attempt tomorrow.

Everest's summit ridge. The lower peak with a climber visible is the South Summit, followed by the traverse to the Hillary Step with climbers visible on top of the Hillary Step. Lhotse is the big peak visible directly behind and to the left of the South Summit. (photo: Justin Merle)

May 24th:

We are proud to report that John, Ryan, Lei, Mike, Justin and their four sherpas have summited and are now on the way down to the Col. Robert, Chris, and Peter turned back on the ascent from near the Balcony and have already reached back to the Col and are now descending to Camp 2.

The climbers who summitted yesterday and spent the night on the Col are also making their way down to Camp 2. The weather up high on Everest has been light winds with some clouds and a few flakes. Down lower there was more snowfall overnight, but the sun is now starting to burn through. We have a group of Sherpas on their way to the Col from C2 to start carrying down the empty oxygen bottles and equipment. We’ll keep you posted on the team’s progress.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

Camp 3 at 23,500' midway up the steep Lhotse Face. Climbers begin sleeping on oxygen here, and crampons must be used outside of tents to move around on the ice.

May 19, 2020

IMG deputy leader Ang Jangbu reports from Base Camp that everyone did very well today pulling into Camps 1 and 2:

Karel, Al and Lei went from Camp 1 to 2. Bergum, Ford, Mike Chapman and Merle went from BC to Camp 2 directly. John and Ryan Dahlem and Robert Kay stayed at Camp 1 for the night and will move to Camp 2 tomorrow. Ten sherpas carried to South Col, three carried Camp 3 and two carried to Lhotse Camp 4 today. Three more sherpas moved to Camp 2 today. It was windy all day today above Camp 1.

The plan for tomorrow (5/20) is that the Hybrid team and also Greg, Brook, Boaz, Hancock, B Chapman, Lein, Davis, Karel and their personal sherpas plan to leave Camp 2 at 3am in the morning and head up to Camp 3. Ang Pasang, Tenzing Gyalzen and Phura Ongel will go ahead of the group to Camp 3 and set up three more tents and then they will drop back down to Camp 2. We have two sherpas down here at BC (Phu Tashi and Karma Gyalzen) who will go to Camp 1 and meet two sherpas coming down from Camp 2. These four sherpas will take down the Camp 1. The rest of the sherpas are taking a rest day today. Tomorrow they will go to Camp 2 and will carry personal/group gear to the Col and set up tents the next day.

—Ang Jangbu, Deputy Expedition Leader

IMG Sherpa Trek team before they departed base camp. (photo: Ang Jangbu)

Dawa Nuru on the fixed ropes below C3 (photo: Justin Merle)

Sherpa Trek Departs BC; Summit Bids Ready to Start

May 17, 2010

IMG leader Justin Merle reports from Base Camp that the Sherpa Trek group left today after a nice visit, and are heading for Lobuche.

The team reports that there may have been as many as 50 Everest summits today. Congrats to these summiters, the door is open now!

This morning the IMG climbers finished packing high altitude snack food and personal gear for the summit bids and we got the oxygen masks handed out to the Sherpas. The weather report is looking better with the jet stream is forecasted to start tracking over the next week more to the north, away from Mt Everest. Currently it has been very close to Everest, moving away slightly, but then meandering back and forth. Now that it starts to move conclusively to the north, this is really the beginning of the end of the climbing season, since this also signals the beginning of the monsoon formation down in the Indian Ocean.

The tentative plan for the IMG is to split the team into two waves, with the first group of summit climbers starting up tomorrow, and the second group starting up the next day. Leaving at a pre-dawn hour tomorrow morning are the Hybrid team, Greg Vernovage, Boaz, Hancock, Lien, Wang, B Chapman, Masek and their respective personal sherpas. The rest of the climbers and their Sherpas leave Base Camp the following day with Justin.

We’ll keep you posted!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

IMG Sherpas at Everest Base Camp

First Summits of the Season

May 5, 2010

IMG deputy leader Ang Jangbu Sherpa reports that the following IMG sherpas reached the summit of Mount Everest between 11:25 and 11:30 AM on Wednesday, May 5, 2010:

1. Nima Karma Sherpa (Phortse)
2. Phu Tshering (Phortse)
3. Phinjo Dorje (Pangboche)

They fixed rope from the South Col to the Balcony yesterday and finished fixing all the way to the summit today along with three sherpas from two other teams: HIMEX and AAI. Congrats to all nine of these guys, great work.

The door is now OPEN for other teams!

—Ang Jangbu, Deputy Expedition Leader

Will Cross Set to Climb Makalu

AMK adventure athlete Will Cross will soon attempt a climb of Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world (27,824ft), located 21 miles east of Mount Everest.

Cross will depart shortly for this monumental peak as part of his “Giant Mountain Challenge” – a quest to climb six of the highest peaks in the world.  Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 30 years ago, Cross is pursuing this latest challenge as part of his ongoing effort to demonstrate that one can lead an extraordinary life with diabetes, an incurable condition and a global pandemic.  AMK and its parent company Tender Corp. are sponsoring Cross for the climb and other expeditions he’ll be participating in throughout the year.

Along with packing a variety of AMK products , Cross will be taking along HealthiFeet, which he’ll use as part of his daily regimen to keep his feet strong and healthy during the trip. A podiatrist recommended topical cream, HealthiFeet is clinically proven to relieve foot discomfort associated with cold feet, diabetes and neuropathy. To learn more about how HeatlthiFeet works, check out this episode of “The Doctors” which recently featured the product in a segment on foot care.

Be Safe Will!

All the best from Adventure Medical Kits

Team Tecnu

Swamp Stomp 2010
Team Tecnu Staphaseptic
Kyle Peter, Mari Chandler, Keith Bushaw, Leslie Reuter

The 2nd race of 2010 took team Tecnu to about one hour north of Tampa, FL to race in the Swamp Stomp.  Plotting the course Friday night near the banks of the Homosassa River proved that the race would live up to its name.  30 miles of  river-paddling in a maze of waterways cutting though the swamp and miles of  swamp travel ton foot and even bike (yes…I said bike) though thick wet swamp ooze!

Saturday morning we started with a 14 mile paddle on the Homosassa River Trail that we finished in around 4th place, but we transitioned quickly at the ‘Chaz’ Campground and headed out onto Bike #1 in first place. Biking mostly on paved roads we grabbed a few CP’s and cruised into the transition to Trek 1 holding our lead.

Paddling through the Fog

Trek 1 was a relatively straightforward rogaine in Withlacoochee State Forest.  After 5 hours of running we cleared the section.  Most points were 100-300 meters from a trail or road, but with no features in flat Florida, the team relied heavily on pace counts to get the CPs.

We took off on Bike # 2 still leading the pack, but with a local team hot on our heels.  We grabbed 3 CP’s or so on our way into the deep nasty swamp at the same the time the sun began to set.  The first point we went to in the swamp requited us to leave our bikes at the end of a trail and stomp through the swamp for 100 meters to find the flag.  It was cold, it was our first time moving in the swamp, and Leslie found a keeper spot that sucked her in deep.  Needless to say, we slowed a bit.  We started to bike back out the same trail we used to come in to the CP and saw the local FL team.  I estimated we had about 15 minutes on them.  We also saw Checkpoint Zero and some other teams on the out-and-back section.  Next up on our plan was a group of 4 CP’s that didn’t have a clear connecting route to get them all.  We tried to get them in a loop that appeared to be the most efficient according to the map.  But it turned out that trails in the swamp can easily be covered in 3 feet of water and near impossible to find.  We decided to bike an extra 15 kilometers on relatively fast trails to avoid a 750 meter swamp bushwack with our bikes over our shoulders.  Seemed like the safest smartest thing to do, but turns out the race directors designed the course so everybody had to carry there bikes through the swamp.  The marked trails on the map were really hunters’ bushwacking routes through the swamp than ride-able trails.  Long and short of it we were passed out there by the local team as well as Checkpoint Zero with all three of us getting all points on Bike 2.  We came into the start the Trek 2 30 minutes behind CP0 and 2 hours behind the local team.  Game over!  The intensity immediately dropped and my focus on the maps faded.  We pushed on adjusted our plan for the trek, got what points we could with Leslie navigating us through a 1 kilometer, pitch black, below freezing, thick swamp.

We returned to the TA to pick up our bikes to find out  Checkpoint Zero still in the TA but with 1 more CP than us (a point worth 2 points when most were worth only 1 point).  We also discovered that our bikes cassettes had frozen solid.  Hours of swamp biking, sandy road riding, and 28 degree temperatures are not the best conditions for bikes.  We put on our frozen solid bike shoes, and all of the clothes we had (none of it dry at this point) and set off on the final bike ride (Bike 3).  I have probably been heard saying a half dozen times or so, “This is the coldest I have ever been.”  I don’t think I said it this time because I was too cold to talk, but I truly believe this was the coldest I have been in my live.  All four of us had completely numb feet and hands.  At every CP, Keith would put his bare hands down his pants to warm his fingers, and Leslie would ride without her hands on the bars in order to put them up here shirt to keep them warm.

We pulled into the final TA and transitioned into our frozen solid paddling gear.  When I took my bike shoes off there was a layer of ice between my wet sock and my shoe.  I don’t think that has ever happened to me before.  Not to mention in FL?

We stated Paddle 2 early Sunday morning and preceded to get the mandatory CP’s  They were all located up channels that were feed by springs.  We usually had to wade the last few meters in 72 degree water from our boats up to the spring to reach the CP.  What a welcome change from the frozen socks and PFD we wearing!  Our final CP required one teammate to swim into a deep hole being fed by a spring. As the youngest on the team I won the chance to dive the 10 feet into the clear spring and get the CP!!  I was cold, but the finish line was only 200 meters away, and as a special treat we were greeted by a family of manetees swimming under our canoes as we left the spring.

Diving for the Checkpoint gold!

CP Gold!

Manatee

The Swamp Stomp proved to be a very challenging race both physically and mentally.  Florida doesn’t have hills, but it sure has swamps!  All things considered we are happy with our third place finish, and impressed with Checkpoint Zero’s second place finish and the local teams win.  I won’t speak for the rest of the team, but I will be back.  I want another shot at those swamp ‘trails’ or lack-there-of.

Discovery Channel’s Everest: Beyond the Limit Air Dates Announced

Now in its third season, the Discovery Channel’s Everest: Beyond The Limit is taking a new approach to filming this year and will feature both International Mountain Guides and Himalayan Experience in a five-part series.

Several IMG climbers will be featured in the series – you can read more about former NASA Astronaut Scott Parazynski and Dawes Eddy, the oldestAmerican to climb Everest below.

The dates and times are below. Be sure to check your local listings for any last minute changes.

Sunday, December 27
8:00pm   Episode 1
9:00pm   Episode 2
10:00pm Episode 3

Wednesday, December 30
9:00pm    Episode 4
10:00pm  Episode 5

2009 IMG Everest Dispatches

Everest Climber Feature – Scott Parazynski

IMG climber Scott Parazynski returned to Everest this season after coming tantalizingly close last year. The former Nasa Astronaut was sidelined with a ruptured lumbar disc at 24,500′ on his summit bid in 2008.

This year Scott came back fit and ready to top out with Danuru Sherpa. Scott achieved his goal at dawn on May 20, 2009. A veteran of several space flights and spacewalks, Scott is the only person to both summit Mt. Everest and fly in space.

Everest Climber Feature – Dawes Eddy

Dawes Eddy of Spokane, WA could not be stopped on Everest this year. At 66 years old most people think about retirement and moving to somewhere warm. Not Dawes.  An experienced climber of many peaks in the Cascades and in South America Dawes set out to become the oldest American to summit Everest and did so at dawn on May 20, 2009.

Congratulations to Kyle and Mari for their 3rd place finish in the Perak Amanjaya International Eco Adventure.

Details of their final day of racing are below…

To read all about their journey and race – check out their blog.

Day 4 – Final Stage

Kyle and I knew what had to be done for the final day of racing. We were currently in 4th place and less than 3 minutes behind a spot on the podium which was held by Team Salomon TLDM from Malaysia. The day began with a long 48 mile bike leg which the majority would all be on paved roads and flat. The first 12 miles were pretty easy as everyone rode in a peloton as expected. The next 4 miles were insane as we had to loop around some rice paddy fields. We were forced into a single file line through wet tall grass with mud underneath. It was a struggle to remain with the lead group through the slippery conditions, but we hung on. At the edge of the paddy field was a bridge that led us back to the road, but we had to heave our bikes up onto it as it was 4 ft or so off the ground. Kyle and I were back on our bikes and on the road only to find ourselves a good 200 meters behind the peloton. We knew we had gotten off the bridge before the Malaysians and needed to get back with the lead riders. Kyle took off and I got on his wheel and we road as hard as we could and eventually caught the group. We settled back into the peloton and enjoyed the pull and recovered from our sprint. The pace had slowed again and the French team(Chiru Racing Bikes) and the Japanese team each tried to break away, but each time we caught back up with them. With all the goofing around with the pace, our Malaysian friends were able to rejoin the group as well. No one would take the lead and push the pace except us and the 2 teams from South Africa (Team McCain Adventure). I took the lead and Kyle got behind me and we picked up the pace. The next thing we knew, we were all alone and the peloton had dropped behind us. We expected them to catch us, but that was the last we would see of them for the next 24 miles. Kyle and I alternated leading, giving 1 min hard pulls while the other recovered all the while thinking at any moment the freight train of riders would run us over soon, but they never came. We held 24-28 mph on our mt. bikes as we were led by a police escort and camera crews all the way to the TA. It was pretty exciting to have gotten a break-a-way from such a strong group of riders and be in the lead.

We had a quick transition into our kayak gear and were off for a short paddle in the Indian Ocean to Pangkor Island. At this point we still had no idea exactly how far ahead we were and just wanted to keep our lead as long as possible. We expected to be caught on the kayak leg, as we are not the stongest paddlers, but no one came. We reached the sandy beach and now had to run up a hill to a 60 m repel down a steep rock face right back down to the beach. Because we had done the entire bike section while wearing our climbing harnesses, there was no need for the transition and gained more valuable time on the Malaysian team who we knew was not wearing theirs.

Now we were off for a 6k run along the edge of the island through the town of Pangkor. We were still feeling pretty good and settled into a comfortable pace but tried to keep pushing. Kyle had fallen back a bit so he we connected the tow line so that we could keep together. It seemed as though the entire town of Pangkor had come out and lined both sides of the street to cheer us on. They seemed confused to find Kyle and I by ourselves , most likely looking extremely tired , and why were we tied together?? We pushed on and reached the aid station at the base of “Killing Hill”. In the race briefing the night before, the Race Director had told us that this hill was harder than the one we had done on Day 2 and had almost destroyed a few teams. We decided to take the time to load up on water before continuing up the trail. As we headed up the steep trail we still saw no one behind us. It wasn’t too much time later when we heard the Swedish team coming up behind us and moving fast. Within a few moments they had caught us, passed us, and dropped us. We kept on trekking and a few moments later, Pacific Adventure made up of 2 Americans caught us, passed us, and dropped us. We decided that was enough, and in order for us to grab 3rd overall, we had to hold onto 3rd for the stage win. We never saw another team. We reached the base of “Killing Hill”, which ended up being way easier than expected and had a short run back out to the main island road. Here we would get to choose from a group of “local” bikes and would be allowed to use one bike for the 2 of us to go the remaining 5k to the finish. Kyle immediately grabbed a bike that had the essentials…2 inflated tires, 2 pedals, at least 1 brake, and hopefully the ability to shift a gear or 2. I took off running and Kyle passed me on the bike. It was hilarious as the bikes were all for people a bit shorter than us and he looked like he was pedaling a kid’s bike. For the next 5 k, we leap frogged each other with one of us riding a short distance ahead and dropping the bike on the side of the road and then the other of us running to it, picking up the bike and continuing. There was a lot of traffic on the road and I was sure at some point our bike would either get run over or fall apart. With the bike being so small it was very difficult to ride up the few hills we had along the way to the finish and I was having flashbacks of riding my little niece and nephew’s little cruiser bikes and thinking that maybe that form of training was paying off at last. ha ha. I was just starting to feel pretty crappy and had told Kyle as he rode by me not to make me run to far when we could start to hear the sounds of the finish line. Kyle dropped the bike immediately after he passed me and was off and running hard to the finish. I barely caught him when we rounded the final turn and crossed the finish line together to finish the 4th and final stage in 3rd place. Immediately we started our watches and waited to see who would cross the finish line next. After 3 minutes we knew we had the last spot on the podium secured. As time ticked by and only the Japanese team finished, we thought we had a shot at 2nd place as Chiru Racing bikes had 6+ minute lead heading into this stage. At 4 1/2 minutes, Team Chiru crossed the finish line. It was official…

1st place: Team World of Multi-Sport from Sweden, 4 day race total of 15:30:07 (co-ed team)
2nd place: Team Chiru Racing Bikes from Australia & France, 15:50:36 (all male team)
3rd place: Kyle and Mari, Team Tecnu Extreme/Asolo, 15:51:55

To read all about their journey and race – check out their blog.

AMK Sales Representative, Kyle Peter is racing again – this time in Malaysia!

Kyle is racing with Mari Chandler on Team Tecnu Extreme/Asolo in the Perak Amanjaya International Eco Adventure 2009 which is a new event geared towards presenting 20 of the top teams to the Asian contingency, and also showcasing on ESPN STARS. The 4-day race is set to begin on December 2nd – they will be racing across Malaysia in a super fast stage race with little navigation, short disciplines, blazing fast transitions, and beautiful terrain.

Kyle and Mari arrived in Malaysia and have spent some time relaxing and recovering from jet lag.  Tomorrow is a pre-race brief/meeting, followed by interviews with ESPN STARS network where one billion Asian households are sure to fall in love with Kyle and Mari.  After that, there is nothing but waiting and doing countless gear checks and last minute preparations before the race starts on Wednesday.

You can follow their progress on their team blog. Good luck to Kyle and Mari – we can’t wait to follow their progress and hear the stories of this epic trip!