Anchor Replacement Initiative Hits New Heights

The American Alpine Institute just received the following press release from Skram Media.

Boulder, CO and New York, NY November 13, 2009 - Skram Media, a leading publisher of special interest outdoor magazines and websites, today announced that the Anchor Replacement Initiative (ARI) has surpassed last years total of routes upgraded by 20%. With 2 months of the year remaining and a number of ARI projects underway and scheduled to be completed before the year ends, 2009 is guaranteed to be the ARI’s most productive year ever.

“I’m delighted that 2009 is the most productive ARI year in the programs six year history”, commented Mark Crowther Skram Media’s Publisher. “Thanks to the support of The North Face and Petzl, the ARI continues to make a real difference to the climbing community”, he added.

“In addition to the year on year build up of grassroots knowledge and know-how, we launched three new initiatives at the start of 2009: an ARI road trip which we plan to repeat next year, a social media program through twitter, and a new editorial section in Climbing Magazine, Anchored, which profiles ARI volunteers and their work,” Crowther commented.

“This is a great accomplishment,” says Kevin Riley, Skram Media’s ARI Program Manager, “The goal of the ARI is to ensure the safest anchors possible on routes of all levels at the country’s most popular crags. The ARI’s continued success this year means another major step forward in safety for climbers.”

John Evans, Marketing Director for Petzl America, added, “One look at the anchors replaced by the ARI and it’s obvious how valuable this program is.”

About the ARI
The Anchor Replacement Initiative (ARI) is an industry-supported and industry driven program that serves the U.S. climbing community by systematically replacing worn-out or inadequate belay and rappel anchors. The ARI is a network of climbing community activists, who are familiar with the needs at their areas and have the expertise and judgment to replace existing belay and rappel stations. Since the Anchor Replacement Initiative’s (ARI) establishment in 2003, supported by Climbing Magazine, The North Face, Petzl and countless volunteers across the country have touched 30 different destinations, maintaining over 1,500 anchors. For more: climbing.com/community/ari and twitter.com/ClimbingARI.

About The North Face®
The North Face®, a subsidiary of VF Corp., was founded in 1966 and opened its first retail store in 1968. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, extreme skiers, and explorers. The company's products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, and skiing retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers, and major outdoor-specialty retail chains. Additional information about The North Face® can be found on the company’s website, www.thenorthface.com.

About Petzl
Petzl America is the U.S. division of Petzl, headquartered in France. Petzl America, based in Clearfield, Utah, has been recognized by Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work 2008. For over 50 years, Petzl has been developing innovative tools and techniques used by those entering the vertical world. Today, the Petzl brand is closely associated with adventure, exploration, rescue, and many notable exploits in the worlds of rock climbing and alpinism. Petzl climbing hardware and headlamps can be found in outdoor specialty shops and premium sporting goods retailers around the world. For more information, visit: www.petzl.com.

About Skram Media
Skram Media leads the industry by providing a portfolio of highly read multiplatform outdoor editorial products, including Climbing Magazine, Climbing.com, Urban Climber Magazine, UrbanClimberMag.com, MyUCTV.com, Mountain Gazette, and MountainGazette.com. The portfolio provides synergy between print and digital properties, reaching over 330,000 readers monthly and many more online. With the acquisition of Mountain Gazette in Fall 2008, Skram Media provides advertisers the opportunity to reach the full spectrum of mountain and outdoor enthusiasts.

For more information, please contact:
Mark Crowther
mark.crowther@skrammedia.com
212-691-2927 x101