April 10, 2008 (Missoula, MT) – On April 25th, Talus-sponsored athletes Ed Viesturs and John Stetson will embark on a 150-mile expedition into the Canadian Arctic. The world-renown adventurers will cross-country ski the entire Canadian Arctic Trek for Earth Health pulling sledges throughout North Baffin Island. The challenging expedition is scheduled to last nearly 20 days with daily progress reports being made via satellite phone and posted on the web.

Viesturs and Stetson believe that people cannot be healthy if the earth is unhealthy. “We live in a fish bowl,” says Viesturs, “and we need to keep our little home clean.”

The Canadian Arctic Trek for Earth Health will allow Viesturs and Stetson to see first-hand how global climate change is affecting the pristine artic environment. This will be highlighted by speaking directly with the native Inuit communities found in Pond Inlet and how climate change is affecting their lifestyle and sustainable hunting tactics.

Additionally, this expedition will prepare Viestus and Stetson for a future 600-mile, unsupported expedition to the South Pole. Due to the length and conditions of the pending expedition, meticulous planning and preparation are needed.

Viesturs and Stetson are both decorated adventurers with widespread experience in extreme conditions. In May of 2005, Viesturs completed his 18-year dream of becoming the first American and only the fifth person in the world to ascend the 14 tallest mountains (all over 8,000ft) without supplemental oxygen. Included in this feat, Viesturs has ascended Mount Everest six times.

Stetson is a renowned sled dog musher with more than 20 years of experience and has logged nearly 80,000 miles by dog sled. No stranger to inclement weather, Stetson is the two-time champion of the John Beargrease sled dog race and has competed in temperatures 40-degrees-below-zero.

During the Canadian Arctic Trek for Earth Health, Viesturs and Stetson will be equipped with the ColdAvenger, a high-performance cold weather face mask made by Talus Outdoor Technologies. Talus is a proud sponsor of the expedition.

Talus is honored to provide athletes with the tools to “Stay Out Longer” while continuing their efforts to promote sustainable business practices and corporate responsibility. Talus supports CoolEarth, an international sustainability effort to protect rainforests for carbon sequestration (www.coolearth.org), and educational programs such as Globalwarming101 (www.globalwarming101.com). Join us in making a difference in our planet.

www.talusoutdoortech.com
www.edviesturs.com
www.epicsleddogadventures.com