40 Below - Climbing Equipment For The Extremes

Forty Below Brand overboots, mountaineering, and brew products have been used in the highest and coldest places of the world for many years.

Here are a few pictures from some of the many experiences showcasing
the fun, and trust, folks have with our products from around the world.

MOUNTAINEERING SECTION

MOUNTAINEERING

RECENT Mountaineering Activites

INTERESTING POSTCARDS

Mount Vaughan Antarctica Expedition

Outdoor Retailer Winter Trade Show Demo Day 1st Winter Camp Display

BREWING SECTION

BREWING

MOUNTAINEERING GALLERY:

Postcard from Jonathan Pratt, the first British to summit K2, he used a pair of the Forty Below K2 Superlight overboots to the top!

Bill Lokey on Carsten's Ridge Denali Alaska 1973

Kit DesLauriers skis from the summit of Aconcagua, one of the seven ski descents on her acheiving her goal of the being the first person to ski all Seven Summits, accomplished October 2006! Photo by W. Benegas.

A bunch of happy warm toes!

Eric Simonson on Mt. Everest.

Gordon Wiltsie with a view of The Rock Knife, Queen Maud Land Antarctica.

Tom Whittaker used a Forty Below custom made single overboot for his artificial leg.

M. Reny Denali Toes!

M. Salomon on Island Peak, Himalayas

Laurie Skreslet used the Forty Below Mt. Everest overboot on his successful first Canadian ascent of Everest!

Everest special edition magazine.

H. Howkins on K2 with Forty Below K2 Superlight overboots!

J. Brewer party on Denali.

Marty Schmidt on Cho Oyu with Forty Below Purple Haze overboots.

M. Purdue party on Mt. Russell Alaska.

Mt. Russell Ridge Purdue Party, Beautiful Alaska!

Stacy Alison, first woman to summit Everest!

Father and Son team John and Jess Roskelley on the summit of Mt. Everest!

D. Gurr party on a first winter ascent in Greenland

Jason Edwards on Everest

Chip Weber and S. Legget on summit Denali 1994.

RECENT Mountaineering Activities

Check out these pictures of some recent adventures using Forty Below Products! We really appreciate being part of the equipment used on such incredible journeys!

Here is Jon on Cotopaxi!

Jon wrote to us:

" I reached the summit of Cotopaxi (19,347’) on 2/10 (2008) and included a pic of me on the summit in my Sub 40s overboots. They worked great—great fit, solid warmth, easy on and great fit on the glacier with headlamp and off I went. A great climb! Thanks Sub-40! Jon R. Venema. PS. My colleague in the pic is Bryce Green of Summit Adventures. "

Thank you and congrats on your summit!

Ryan Larkin (closer) and Wade DesRosier ski on making a gear carry to Camp 1 from Base Camp on Mount Bear. Ice fall (serac fall) off the summit shoulder of Mount Bear is in the background. Matt, Ryan & Wade were the first people to summit Mount Bear in 5 years. They were able to ski from the summit (15,000-ish) all the way to Base Camp around 9,000 feet. Spring 2007

The mother and daughter climbing team of Roxanne and Robyn Faike dancing in Antarctica with Forty Below Purple Haze overboots! Happy Toes! They successfully climbed Vinson Massif in Antarctica this 2007. "Thanks sooooo much for the wonderful 40 below cover for our plastic boots. We were toasty WARM." This is a pic of Mt. Tyree in the background at ABC up on the headwall toward the top.

Mother and daughter Team Faike in Antarctica getting quite the views..."Robyn and I always take up an outfit for base camp".

A happy Michael Davidson wearing a set of Forty Below Purple Haze on summit of a Denali traverse Spring 2007. " Loved them...thanks for making a quality product!"

Martin Letzter and Olof Sundstrom
Vinson Massif Antarctica Nov 2006

Warm Feet!

Many smiles!

This was the seventh successful ascent and ski descent of the 7 highest peaks from each of the 7 continents! Congratulations! Check out the link to their se7ensummits website from our links page. They used the Forty Below Purple Haze overboots over ski-mountaineering boot and telemark boot. They also had happy toes at night with the Forty Below Synthetic Camp Booties!

Maria Alonso about to take the last steps onto the summit of Vinson Massif in 2006, photo by Todd Rutledge/ Mt. Trip Guide

Mount Vaughan Antarctic Expedition

We were honored when we got the call from Norman Vaughan to help him out with overboots for his historic climb of Mount Vaughan in Antarctica. Norman was part of the historic Admiral Richard E. Byrd expeditions to Antarctica in 1929. This peak was named for him, and at 89 years old he successfully summited it with his wife Carolyn and a dedicated group of support climbers. Here are a few pictures and memorabilia from this incredible mountaineering milestone.

Signed card from Norman

Cards of Norman and wife Carolyn

On the back of signed card, he included the message that he composed and read at the top of Mount vaughan, Antacrtica on December 16, 1994:

It reads:

"By climbing this mountain for my 89th burthday I dared to fail and met success. I have fulfilled a 65 year old dream.

I am grateful to the people who have put me here. I never could have gotten here without Carolyn my wife, especially, who I am proud to say is standing beside me here now celebrating this moment. To my sponsors, to Vern Tejas and the Mount Vaughan Antarctic team here and at home, to all the volunteers and supporters, to friends world-wide, and most importantly to my family.

I am now ready for my next challenge.

A message I wish to bring to everyone is to dream big and "dare to fail".

This climb has been in tribute to Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Dr. laurence McKinley Gould, and to my two good friends Edward E. Goodale and Freddy Crockett who drove dogs with me here in the Antarctic. Standing here on top of Mount Vaughan we can see Mount Goodale to the north and Mount Crockett to the south. In 1929 we saw these mountains and glaciers for the first time.

This climb is also in tribute to the tenacious spirit of the Antarctic sled dogs who never gave up. They have been my inspiration. Our dogs couldn't come this year. But Zippy is here to pay tribute to the end of the era of the sled dog in the Antarctic as set forth in the new protocol of the Antarctic treaty. Zippy (our stuffed toy husky) also commemorates the four dogs who wandered off after the crash of our DC6 lat year-Sticker, Magoo, Pudge, and Pandy.

I will miss the dogs of the Antarctic. Good-bye you wonderful huskies. May your memory live forever in our hearts. You always did what was asked of you no matter how tough it was and often sacrificed your lives for man's quest at the bottom of the world. I salute you an I toast a new era of world-wide scientific cooperation for the next 50 years here in the Antarctic. May it always stay pristine and become the "World's Greatest Park" Norman Vaughan.

Forty Below Purple Haze overboots. Photo by Gordon Wiltsie

On the ascent! Photo by Gordon Wiltsie

Horizon of Antarctica Photo by Gordon Wiltsie

Norman Vaughan on summit of Mount Vaughan
Photo by Gordon Wiltsie

Postcards

We get a lot of fun and interesting postcards from customers, guides, and friends from trips around the world. Here are few we thought we would share!

Pictures from the first Outdoor Retailer Trade Winter On-snow Demo Day Winter Camp

In 1996 Forty Below developed and co-sponsored with the Sherpa Snowshoe Company a "model winter camp" set up for testers from the on snow demo days to be able to walk out to and see a real winter camp in action! We made, stayed in, and maintained all of the typical winter camp features including an igloo, snowcaves, tent, and cooking pyramid shelter. This turned out to be quite a hit with a large amount of testers being taken on the tour, and numerous people being able to see and go inside a real igloo for the first time! The event was held at Donner Pass, CA. Here are a few pictures from this fun event!

Bill and Joel of Forty Below put on the final block to make an igloo.

Bill Prater, founder of Sherpa Snowshoe company and Ken Kutac, tester and "snow shelter builder extrodinaire" lead tours of snowshoe testers to the camp.