Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Summer Update

Greetings USAF 7 Summits Challenge fans,

This is just a friendly hello from the team to all our supporters and to the general public!

As is the norm, life for all of us has been very busy, though sadly not from climbing more peaks. Currently the vast majority of the people involved in the 7 Summits Challenge are deployed around the world, actively engaged in the War on Terror, humanitarian operations, or other military related work. We're happy to say that everyone is doing very well and all remain happy and healthy. As the heat increases for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, our minds drift more and more towards the snow peaks of Mt. McKinley, the next peak we hope to tackle. The timeline still has us shooting for a Spring '08 ascent. Naturally we're all just hoping to find a break in our schedules to take on the fourth peak in our challenge! Keep your fingers crossed.

Also, some cool news: Nichelle Brokering (Kilimanjaro) and Jason Somers, both Air Force officers, headed up to Everest Base Camp, which sits on the rough and rocky Khumbu Glacier at 17,000ft in the Nepalese Himalaya. These two champs volunteered to take part in one of the largest high-altitude medical projects ever put together. The last time we heard from them they were leaving Namche Bazaar on their way up to base camp, though we expect to hear a full story from them any time now. Of course we'll post it here as soon as we find out!

Mark Uberuaga and Rob Marshall are considering a follow up attempt on Switzerland's Matterhorn after they had to abort their mid-winter attempt. There are no firm dates, but maybe in early September. As always, if you're interested in joining, let us know.

Finally, if you are in the Albuquerque area, Rob will be living there throughout the fall and winter and is looking to meet up with anyone that likes to tackle 14'ers, mountain bike, climb, or fly fish. Contact him at the e-mail below.

That's all we have going on for now. If you have any media/sponsorship contacts, fundraising ideas, or general comments, please don't hesitate to contact us at usaf7summits@hotmail.com!