Eddie Bauer Guide Adrian Ballinger Summits Mt. Everest Without Supplemental Oxygen; Teammate Cory Richards Summits Assisted By Oxygen

BELLEVUE, Wash., May 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Eddie Bauer alpinists Adrian Ballinger and Cory Richards successfully summited Mt. Everest. Ballinger reached the mountain's peak without the use of supplemental oxygen, a feat accomplished only by just over 200 others to date. This is the first successful "no O's" summit for Ballinger, who has summited Everest a previous six times with supplemental oxygen.

Richards' decision to push forward, adding supplemental oxygen for the final 36 vertical meters of his climb, was in an effort to ensure Ballinger's success- a demonstration of their commitment to the partnership. Last year's climb proved successful for Richards, who summited the 8,848-meter peak without oxygen for the first time. Ballinger, an Everest veteran, was forced to turn back due to hypothermia less than 300 meters from the top. His calculated but heartbreaking decision was the catalyst for their return to the mountain this year, working together to ensure that both of them reached the top of the world's tallest peak and captured the Snap to prove it. They spent a total of 37 days on the mountain, logging over 130 miles.

Their journey was captured in real time through their various EverestNoFilter social channels, with data analyzed via the sports mobile app, Strava. Using the latest Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone and Samsung's 360 gear, Richards and Ballinger gave fans around the world an authentic, immediate look at the preparation and ultimate execution of climbing Mt. Everest.

"I've dreamt of summiting Mt. Everest without supplemental oxygen since I was fourteen years old. Today Cory helped me turn that goal into a reality and for that I am forever grateful," said Ballinger, now with a 7-summit record.

"Today we completed a journey two years in the making," said Cory Richards. "Adrian reaching the top of Everest, this time with no Os, brought everything full circle. I'm proud to celebrate his victory – a byproduct of hard work, unwavering determination and a killer support team."

In preparation for this year's expedition, the two used an innovative accelerated process that enabled them to bypass the traditional methods of acclimatization and allowed them to summit in a mere six weeks. A carefully curated team of mountain professionals, including a base camp manager, meteorologists, expedition doctor and local Sherpa team, combined with training plans and a customized diet, which included Hiball energy drinks, ensured their ultimate success.

Eddie Bauer has a rich history of outfitting mountaineering expeditions on Everest, beginning in 1963 when Eddie Bauer outfitted the first Americans to summit the mountain. Today, Eddie Bauer's guides and athletes are some of the most accomplished on Everest and hold a combined 50 summits.

"Everest is the ultimate challenge in mountaineering and exploration that requires calculated patience, experience and respect," said Mike Egeck, Chief Executive Officer for Eddie Bauer. "Cory and Adrian exemplified these characteristics and have inspired others to pursue their own adventures through their content capture. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments on Everest and to have them both on our team."

In addition to Eddie Bauer, Richards and Ballinger's expedition partners included Alpenglow Expeditions, Samsung, Strava and Hiball Energy.

About Cory Richards
Cory Richards is an esteemed alpine athlete as well as a National Geographic photography fellow and filmmaker, whose expeditions to the greater ranges of the world have made him a leader in adventure and expedition photography. His film work has won awards at nearly every major adventure film festival, including the grand prize at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in 2011. In 2012, he received the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Award for his efforts as both a climber and visual storyteller. Richards has now summited Mt. Everest two times.

About Adrian Ballinger
Adrian Ballinger is one of the USA's premier high-altitude mountain guides, and the only American guide to have both AMGA/IFMGA guide certification (one of 75 in the USA) and more than 10 summits of 8,000-meter peaks (thirteen total, including seven summits of Mt. Everest). As founder and head guide of Alpenglow Expeditions, Adrian has been guiding full-time for fifteen years and has led over 100 international climbing expeditions on five continents.

About Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer is an active outdoor brand offering premium-quality outerwear, apparel, footwear, accessories, and gear. For almost 100 years, Eddie Bauer has been outfitting America, inspiring and enabling people to live their adventure. Eddie Bauer products are available online at www.eddiebauer.com, and at more than 400 stores in the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, N.J., Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), is a recognized innovative leader in consumer electronics, mobile devices and enterprise solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SEA is pushing beyond the limits of today's technology and providing consumers and organizations with a portfolio of groundbreaking products in appliances, home entertainment, Internet of Things, mobile computing, smartphones, virtual reality, wireless infrastructure and wearables, in addition to offering leading content and services related to mobile payments, 360-degree VR video, customer support and more. Samsung is a pioneering leader in smartphones and HDTVs in the U.S. and one of America's fastest growing home appliance brands. To discover more about Samsung, please visit www.samsung.com. For the latest Samsung news, please visit news.samsung.com/us and follow us @SamsungNewsUS.

About Strava
Strava is the social network for athletes. It's made up of millions of runners, cyclists and triathletes, united by the camaraderie of sport. Its website and mobile apps bring athletes together from all walks of life and inspire them to unlock their potential – both as individuals and as communities. Adrian Ballinger and Cory Richards used Strava to update their fellow outdoor enthusiasts during the Everest summit.

About Hiball Energy
Hiball Energy is the pioneer of a completely new category of energy drinks: refreshing, sparkling energy waters and juices. Hiball's Sparkling Energy Waters are the only energy drink in the market that are made without sugar or artificial sweeteners of any kind and contain only 10 calories per bottle.

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SOURCE Eddie Bauer