On March 24th, 2011 7:00pm High Country Outfitters is proud to be hosting a benefit for the 2011 Cordillera Blanca Expedition of the Deep South Section of the American Alpine Club. Join professional adventurer Ryan Waters as he recounts the incredible 70 day, 1,120 mile journey across Antarctica with partner Cecilie Skog on the first unsupported and unassisted ski traverse of the continent.
Ryan Waters is a veteran of nine 8000 meter peak expeditions, including three expeditions to Mt. Everest, reaching the summit of both the Tibet and Nepal sides of the mountain. He has guided three expeditions to Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world and led trips to K2, Broad Peak, and Gasherbrum II.
He developed a passion for the Andes Range of South America and was based in Argentina for several years. During this time he led over 30 expeditions in the mountains of Chile, Argentina and Ecuador. Ryan spent extensive time in the backcountry of South America working as a mountaineering instructor for Patagonia Outward Bound.
This is an event not to be missed. A portion of the proceeds from the nights event will go to the 2011 Cordillera Blanca Expedition of the Deep South Section of the American Alpine Club. On June 26 an expedition is to embark on what Ellen Lapham, chair of the Conservation Committee for the American Alpine Club, calls a “groundbreaking climber-scientist program” in Peru. Organized by the Deep South section of the AAC, the endeavor will bring together American and Peruvian climber-scientists to study local and global pollution and climate change in the Cordillera Blanca range, which contains the greatest concentration of 6000-meter mountains in this hemisphere.
What an amazing time we had at Boat Rock this year! We couldn’t have asked for better weather. Check out the slideshow below courtesy of our resident photographer Kelly Bussell and also check out 
I just got back from a fabulous trip to St. Simons Island to do some relaxing and a bit of Sea Kayaking. Tammy and I were invited down by our friends Chandler and Stephanie to stay at their family home. As a thank you we brought down two tandem kayaks from the HC rental fleet. We stopped in at the local outfitters in St. Simons, Southeast Adventure Outfitters, to get some beta on places to paddle and got some great information on not only where to paddle but when to put in and so forth due to the tide. We had to carry our kayaks down to the surf from the parking area which was quite a chore. I will never do that again without a kayak cart or a Kevlar boat! That was probably the hardest part of our journey. We launched our boats into the Atlantic Ocean and paddled over to Sea Island where we surfed the waves into shore and hung out for a bit and then entered the marsh which was really cool. We paddled the meandering river through the marsh to our take-out point, loaded up the Jeep and headed home for a night of libation and good times. We were able to get in one more trip a few days later. This time we went in reverse and started in the marsh and followed the tide out to sea. It was a beautiful evening as we unloaded the kayaks. A storm was brewing in the distance and about halfway through our trip we got hit with a warm rain. We skirted up and kept paddling it was very exhilarating and a little dangerous because of lightning in the area. We hit the ocean and got to the beach just in time. We had stashed my bike so I hoped on and went to get the Jeep. We loaded the kayaks and got in the car just as lightning started striking all around us and right where we had just been. All in all we had a great time! Come on in to High Country Outfitters and rent or purchase a kayak of you own, get out on the water and have your own adventure.
Recently the guides at High Country Outfitters helped Michael Peterson and his Dad get outfitted for a trek through Switzerland. They just got back and Michael sent me some pictures from their travels. All reports are that they had an amazing trip and all their gear functioned as promised. Enjoy the pictures.
One of our favorite customers, Laney Pifke, is finally out in Jackson, WY in the Teton Mountains. We have been working with Laney and her dad Bruce for a while now making sure we got Laney as prepared as possible. I hope we did a good job and hope Laney has a safe, exciting adventure. More updates to come.
Hope all is well in Atlanta.
