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Kelly Cordes |
As a graduate
student in exercise physiology at the University of Montana, Kelly worked
up a sweat getting to obscure climbing areas. His pursuit of remote, difficult
routes earned him extensive experience in ice, mixed, and traditional
rock climbing, but his most memorable successes have come on springtime
pilgrimages to Alaska. Preferring to move fast and light, he has climbed
two 3000-foot technical mixed routes on the south face of the Moose's
Tooth in five hours each, a 3,200-foot hard new mixed route in the Ruth
Gorge in a day, two 3,500-foot new mixed routes on Thunder Mountain, each
in a day, and a 4,300-foot new mixed route to the summit of a previously
unclimbed Alaskan peak in a 24-hour round-trip push. He also completed
the first one-day ascent of Mt. Huntington's 4,000-foot west face, in
just nine hours. In 2004, Kelly and partner (Josh Wharton) completed the
Azeem Ridge (5.11 R/X A2 M6) on the Southwest Ridge of Great Trango Tower
in Pakistan. With a vertical gain of 7,400 feet, this is likely the longest
rock route in the world. Kelly has published extensively in the climbing media
and is assistant editor of the American Alpine Journal. His varied background
includes winning a national collegiate boxing title at Penn State University,
marathon running, and teaching college courses. |
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Charlie Sassara |
Charlie inherited
an adventurous spirit from his Alaskan pioneer parents, who moved to the
North Country in the early 1950's. He was raised in Alaska on a steady
diet of mountain living; his first climbs were extended solos along unnamed
ridges and unclimbed faces in his backyard, the Chugach Range. As a teenager
he learned technical climbing skills on the fine granite of Index and
Leavenworth, in Washington State, and at Squamish, British Columbia. He
honed his ice climbing skills on the world-class waterfalls of south central
Alaska. Through 24 years of climbing and more than twenty expeditions
and numerous first ascents in Alaska's Chugach, Hayes, and Wrangell/Saint
Elias ranges, Charlie hasn't lost his sense of adventure. But he's picked
up some other skills and responsibilities along the way. He's a board
member of the American Alpine Club, a member of the American Mountain
Guides Association, and a founder of the Alaska Rock Gym in Anchorage. |
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Jack Tackle |
Montana native
Jack Tackle developed a taste for climbing as a college student in the
mid-70s. For nearly 30 years he's pursued his passion in the wildest ranges
in Asia, South America, Alaska, and the continental United States. From
the beginning he sought out alpine-style, unclimbed routes. He's made
29 separate expeditions to Alaska and put up 11 major new lines, including
first ascents of Denali's Isis Face (Grade 6) and the Cobra Pillar on
the East Face of Mt. Barille (Grade 6, 5.11a A2.) In addition to logging
hours on the sharp end, Jack has worked for 20 years for Exum Mountain
Guides, the country's oldest and most prestigious guide service. He served
on the American Alpine Club's Board of Directors from 1988 to 1994 and
currently serves on Exum's Board of Directors. As a product and marketing
consultant for Vasque he's played an integral role in developing our award
winning line of alpine climbing and mountaineering footwear. |
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Scott Backes |
Scott Backes, who hails
from St. Paul, Minnesota, has been climbing hard for nearly 30 years.
From bouldering to big wall climbing; ice cragging to the biggest Alpine
faces, his passion and commitment set him apart. He's made early
repeats of some of the world's most committing climbs and has established
new routes in Alaska, Canada, Europe, South America, and Africa. In particular,
first ascents of Deprivation on Mt Hunter (Grade 6, ED+ 90°,) M16
on Howse Peak (Grade 6, A2 WI7+,) and his sixty hour "continuous
push" ascent of the Czech Direct Route on Mt. McKinley with Steve
House and Mark Twight led the climbing media to hail him as an "alpine
legend" and "one of the leaders of pushing the limits of human
endurance." Scott shucks off the big praise. He considers himself
lucky to have found people who share his love of the mountains and the
spirit of adventure that have kept his fire burning for the last 27 years. |
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Kevin Mahoney |
Kevin has been climbing
for 15 years and guiding for nine. He worked as a NOLS senior instructor
for eight years, leading trips in Washington's North Cascades, the
British Columbian Coast Range, the Wind Rivers and Devils Tower in Wyoming,
and the Garwhal Himalaya in India (just to name a few) Kevin established
first ascents of ice and alpine routes in New Hampshire, Colorado, and
Alaska, including the first ascent of the southeast face of Moose's Tooth,
and Common Knowledge (Grade 5, WI 6) on Denali's Washburn Face. He
made the second ascent of the infamous Czech Direct Route on Denali's
South Face. In 2004, Kevin returned to the Moose's Tooth to establish
Arctic Rage (VI AI6+R A2) with partner Ben Gilmore. Kevin currently works
for Exum Mountain Guides. |
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