Heidi Howkins Attempts to be First American Woman to Summit K2, World's Toughest and Second-Tallest Peak.AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 1998-- Twice-weekly expedition dispatches featured on GreatOutdoors.com While Mt. Everest gets all the glory as world's tallest, there's a tougher mountain called K2, only about 800 feet shorter, that has never been summited by an American woman. Heidi Howkins, 30, a renowned high-altitude alpinist from Corvallis, Ore., hopes to be the first American First American may refer to:
Howkins and two male climbers, will ascend the 28,251-ft./ 8,611-meter mountain without supplementary oxygen or high altitude Conventionally, an altitude above 10,000 meters (33,000 feet). See also altitude. porters via the Abruzzi (South-East) Spur. "K2 fosters an entirely different level of respect than Everest," said Everest 1996 survivor Dr. Beck Weathers during a recent speaking engagement in Connecticut. "Climb it and you're in a whole new level as a climber." Climbing in the "Death Zone" Through the expedition coverage at GreatOutdoors.com, millions of outdoor enthusiasts will become virtual members of an attempt that few other American women have even tried. All failed because of K2's extreme technical challenge, combined with its punishing 8,000 meter-plus altitude in what climbers call the "Death Zone." Starting June 8 and continuing through August, K2 '98 updates will be featured on GreatOutdoors.com, accompanied by expedition photos, an itinerary leading up to the mid-August summit attempt, an inventory of supplies, and an Expedition Dispatch page where anyone can post their comments. "The daily challenges of mounting this type of expedition will be shared with an estimated online audience of two million people worldwide," said Betsy Brunton, brand manager for GreatOutdoors.com. "Through satellite telephones, solar electric panels, lightweight laptop PC's, and other technologies, users will be able to log into expedition reports from the top of the Himalayas directly through their PC's. "People will experience the climb right along with Heidi, immediately and intimately," Ms. Brunton said. In addition to GreatOutdoors.com, another major expedition sponsor is priceline.com (www.priceline.com), a buying service that enables consumers to name their own price for goods and services In economics, economic output is divided into physical goods and intangible services. Consumption of goods and services is assumed to produce utility (unless the "good" is a "bad"). It is often used when referring to a Goods and Services Tax. such as leisure airline tickets to destinations worldwide. "We're proud to provide Heidi and her K2 '98 team with roundtrip airfare from Portland, Ore. to Islamabad, Pakistan, gateway to K2 and the Himalayas," said priceline.com CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Jay Walker. "Being part of Heidi's historic journey to the summit of K2 is something priceline.com strives to provide on a personal scale every day - getting people where they want to be." K2 '98 Expedition leader Heidi Howkins supports herself through climbing clinics, writing, and slide shows around the U.S. titled, "Perspectives From a Woman on Top." The two other team members are: Zaven "Zee" Ghazarian, 32, from Corvallis, Ore.; and Christian Binggeli, 27, of Switzerland. Fund Supports Local Porters To Howkins, a goal as important as summitting is the team's campaign to promote the well-being of Himalayan porters through a "SupPorters Fund" which provides quality eye, hand, and foot protection to local porters who work at high altitude. The worldwide online audience will be able to donate to the fund through the GreatOutdoors.com site. Howkins is a graduate of Wellesley College Wellesley College, at Wellesley, Mass.; for women; chartered 1870, opened 1875. Long a leader in women's education, it was the first woman's college to have scientific laboratories. where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Philosophy. She attended graduate school at MIT MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology for two years where she studied Mathematical Logic mathematical logic: see symbolic logic. . She is a resident of Corvallis, Ore. where she resides with her husband and fellow climber "Zee" Ghazarian, and five-year-old daughter Devi. K2 is the second tallest mountain the world, a vast pyramid that straddles the border between China and Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir: see Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir State (pop., 2001: 10,143,700), northern India. With an area of 39,146 sq mi (101,387 sq km), it occupies the southern portion of the Kashmir region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent and is in a territory claimed by Pakistan. K2 derives its name from its status as the second peak surveyed in the Karakoram Range Karakoram Range Mountain system, south-central Asia. Extending 300 mi (480 km) from eastern Afghanistan to the Kashmir region, it is one of the highest mountain systems in the world; its loftiest peak is K2, at 28,251 ft (8,611 m), the world's second highest peak. of the western Himalayas. On July 31, 1954, Achille Compagnoni Achille Compagnoni (September 26, 1914) is an Italian mountaineer. Together with Lino Lacedelli, he was the first man to reach the summit of K2 on July 31, 1954. The expedition was led by Ardito Desio. and Lino Lacedelli Lino Lacedelli (born December 4, 1925) is an Italian mountaineer. Biography Lacedelli was born in Cortina d'Ampezzo (Province of Belluno). Together with Achille Compagnoni, he was the first man to reach the summit of K2 on July 31, 1954. , two members of an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio Count Ardito Desio (April 18, 1897 – December 12, 2001) was an Italian explorer, mountain climber, geologist, and cartographer. Biography Desio was born in Palmanova, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. , made the first successful ascent. In 1978, the third successful ascent of K2 was made by an American team led by Jim Whittaker James Whittaker, also known as Jim Whittaker (born in Seattle, Washington on February 10, 1929 [1]) was the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He summited on May 1, 1963 with three other people. . Since then, there have been 13 successful American ascents, all male. Priceline.com is the world's first buyer-driven commerce system that enables consumers to name the price they want to pay for goods and services. Priceline.com launched its consumer buying service on April 6, 1998, offering leisure airline tickets, and will expand its services to include new cars this summer. GreatOutdoors.com, the leader in outdoor adventure, combines the original programming of the Outdoor Life Network, the country's only 24-hour outdoor cable network, with the resources of Cox Interactive Media (CIM (1) (Computer-Integrated Manufacturing) Integrating office/accounting functions with automated factory systems. Point of sale, billing, machine tool scheduling and supply ordering are part of CIM. ), Atlanta, the largest producer of local content on the Web. GreatOutdoors.com is based at Cox Interactive Media's offices in Austin, Tex. The telephone number is 512/416-5032; e-mail: bbrunton@cimedia.com.
CONTACT: Betsy Brunton
Cox Interactive Media
bbrunton@cimedia.com
512/416-5032
or
Jeff Blumenfeld
Blumenfeld and Assoc., Inc. for Cox
203/656-3300
blumassoc@greatoutdoors.com
or
Jennifer Kohn
Connor Communications for priceline.com
212/807-7500
jennifer@connors.com
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