Outdoor Research is a leader in innovative products for outdoor recreation and travel that are of impeccable quality, well priced, and completely functional in a wide range of weather conditions. Some of us grew up in Seattle, where OR is a staple of the outdoor community and known for it's tough build and reliability, especially in the Northwest's wet and rough conditions. It was our hope from the beginning of the Challenge to work with them. Lucky us! OR also sponsors several military special operations units in an attempt to enhance SpecOps gear and continually redesigns the equipment as troops send back field reports. Their support saved thousands of dollars for our McKinley climbers and protected them against the extreme cold and high winds. We're proud to be working with this Seattle legend on all our climbs!!
Cascade Designs, parent company of MSR, is the newest supporter of the USAF 7 Summits Challenge. Another home-town (Seattle) favorite, Cascade Designs has been creating relevant and innovative products of exceptional quality since '72. Their support exceeded our expectations! These fine folks kept our bellies warm and tea steaming thanks to their XGK gas stoves. When the temperatures plummet and the snow is blowing sideways, there is no more dependable stove than an XGK. When a commercial group of climbers, who were caught in a Denali storm during our '09 climb, staggered down into the 14k camp, the Air Force 7 Summits team, along with several other guides, fired up multiple XGKs to quickly warm water for the exhausted and battered group. In addition to their stoves, we've had excellent success in Africa using their Miox purification system and of course the Therm-a-Rest sleeping pads every where we go (including military trips to far out places such as Tombouctou). Once again, it's an honor to be supported by a hometown favorite and worldwide equipment leader.
Oakley, makers of America's most robust and rugged sunglasses, proved an awesome supporter of the USAF 7 Summits Challenge by providing several pairs of their new Half Jackets with Transition lenses, plus some Polarized Five 2.0 and Polarized Crowbar goggles to the Aconcagua team. The Transition lense came in extremely handy, as the lense actually adapts to the current lighting (darkens in the bright sunlight and lightens on cloudy days or as the sun sets), giving us an all-purpose set of eye protection. The goggles were priceless on our summit day, as we battled not only intense sunlight, but windchills down to -40F. The extreme UV exposure on snow at high altitude is dangerous to eyes, even in short amounts, so this donation was fantastic!! Our thanks to Oakley's military and government department for their support.
