Category Archives: News

Atlas Snow-Shoe Company, the leader in snowshoe innovation and snowshoe racing, is the official snowshoe sponsor of the inaugural Teva Winter Mountain Games in Vail, Colo., February 10 – 12, 2012.

The human powered, environmentally friendly Teva Mountain Games, founded in 2002 has quickly grown to the point of hosting more than 2,500 adventure athletes and 40,000 spectators over the course of the annual four-day summer event. As a seemingly natural evolution, the Teva Mountain Games present the winter competition this season in it’s first year, offering events that include ice climbing, on-snow biking, telemark skiing, Nordic competitions, running, dog events and a Ultimate Mountain Man/Woman combination event.

“When creating events, we always look to those who not only talk the talk, but walk the walk in the outdoor industry to team up as partners,” said Shelley Woodworth, Vail Valley Foundation, organizers of the Winter Teva Mountain Games presented by Eddie Bauer. “In this spirit, we look forward to having Atlas Snowshoe Company as part of our snowshoe competitions at the inaugural winter celebration of mountain lifestyle.”

The cross-country snowshoe race brings competitors to the top of Vail Mountain, February 11, 2012 at 12:30 pm, for challenging 5k and 10k snowshoe courses that start at 10,000 feet in elevation. From running up Kloser’s Climb with variable snow conditions to corduroy-groomed areas and stints of deep powder, this sometimes single-track challenge will leave competitors gasping for air and earning their bragging rights. For those brave enough to take on the 10k challenge, a $4,000 prize purse will be awaiting the winner

“Provided Atlas’ nearly two decade long involvement in snowshoe racing and long standing relationship with Vail, it seemed a perfect fit for Atlas to get on board as a sponsor and to bring our Atlas Race Team’s top-tier trail racing ability to the first ever Teva Winter Mountain Games,” said Connor Folley, Marketing Manager, Atlas Snow-Shoe Company.

The survival instinct was alive and well in 2011. With Mother Earth clearly in an apocalyptic mood, people found ways, often against seemingly impossible odds, to survive earthquakes, volcano eruptions, hurricanes, tornados and tsunamis. Tales of wilderness survival – stories involving the injured or lost hiker who braved the elements long enough to talk about it another day — were also well represented.  To pick SOL’s Top Seven Survival Stories of 2011, we turned to Dr. Chris Van Tilburg, editor of Wilderness Medicine magazine and a long-time member of Oregon’s Hood River Crag Rats Search and Rescue Team.

Said Van Tilburg, “The stories that made the cut were selected partly for their fantastic nature, but also because they highlight important lessons that show what to do – or just as often, not do — in a life-threatening situation. In many cases, the people on this list made critical errors which led to the predicament they found themselves in, or at least prolonged it. Thankfully, all of the people on the list did enough things right to ensure their survival. That and a healthy dose of dumb luck didn’t hurt either!”

1. Woman survives four days in Oregon forest. After plummeting off a 50-foot cliff and fracturing her leg in two places, 28-year-old Pamela Salant of Portland, Oregon, survived for three frigid August nights in the rugged Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, wearing only a tank top and shorts.  She had no cell phone and no water. How she did it: Salant ate wild berries and caterpillars, drank from creeks, used moss for warmth, bandaged a cut with her underwear and used her upper body strength to drag herself down a canyon to the shelter of thick trees. She was plucked from the wilds by an Oregon National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk. The lesson learned: even for a short hike, take the 10 essentials including a cell phone, proper clothing and a small survival kit. In this case, Salant got lucky: instead of staying put, she moved deeper into the wilderness, farther from rescuers, which likely prolonged her ordeal.

Read More: SOL’s Top Seven Survival Stories of the Year

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.

Read More: He Did It! AMK Employee Completes Epic Cross-Country Bike Ride

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.

Read More: AMK-Sponsored Team Tecnu Extreme Makes Strong Showing at Adventure Racing World Championships

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!