Eddie Bauer Grows First Ascent Guide and Adventurer Roster with the Addition of Mountaineer, Skier and Snowboarders

SEATTLE, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Eddie Bauer, the Original Outdoor Outfitter, announced today that it has added mountain guide David Morton, skier Lexi duPont and snowboarders Chris Coulter, Kyle Miller and Wyatt Caldwell to its First Ascent team of guides and adventurers. The five athletes will join a roster of legendary First Ascent mountain guides, including Peter Whittaker, Ed Viesturs and Dave Hahn, along with a team of ski guides and kayakers, all who represent Eddie Bauer's untamable spirit of adventure.

"In 2009, we launched First Ascent with a dream team of mountaineers who helped to build a line of outerwear and gear they trusted to keep them alive on some of the most rugged peaks in the world," said Damien Huang, senior vice president of outerwear, active and gear at Eddie Bauer. "As we grow our expedition and snow sports lines, we look to our guides and adventurers to continually give us feedback on how we can make it better while inspiring us with their talent and thirst for exploration."

Seattle native David Morton is a well rounded ice, rock and alpine climber with a history in ski mountaineering. He worked as a guide both domestically and internationally and has guided the seven summits – the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. David recently summited Mt. Everest with First Ascent Guide Melissa Arnot and will return to the Himalaya with Melissa later this month to climb Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world.

Lexi duPont is originally from Sun Valley, Idaho and attends the University of Colorado in Boulder when she's not chasing powder. A skier since she could walk, Lexi raced for the Sun Valley ski team and qualified for the Junior Olympics two years in a row. As a member of the University of Colorado Free Style Team she entered the Free Skiing World Tour, placing in the top 10 overall in 2009 and 2010. In 2010, she was also featured in Warren Miller's Wintervention.

Chris Coulter is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico but now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Despite 13 broken bones before the age of 18, Chris did well in competitive snowboarding, winning the Slopestyle USASA Nationals in 1998 and Boarder Cross at the same competition in 1999. He's appeared in more than 10 major snowboard films and graced the cover of Snowboarder in 2006. Chris holds Avalanche Level 1 and Level 2 certifications and spends his summers in the Patagonia Mountains of Argentina coaching and guiding.  

Also a Seattle native, Kyle Miller currently lives at Crystal Mountain, WA. A late bloomer in the snowboarding industry, Kyle took up the sport at the age of 19. He summited the five highest volcanoes in Washington during the 2007 season and continued his passion the following year, becoming the first splitboarder ever to make snowboard descents of 25 Cascade volcanoes. The February 2011 issue of Backcountry Magazine called Kyle "ski and snowboard mountaineering's new guard."

Sun Valley's Wyatt Caldwell has spent winters in Mammoth Lakes and Salt Lake City honing the craft he started at the age of five. After winning a USASA National Championship at 13, Wyatt began travelling and competing more extensively, winning the overall Grand Prix Halfpipe Championships and competing on the World Cup halfpipe contest circuit. He also won the Vans Cup Slopestyle and Rail Jam events and rode in the Winter X Games, U.S. Open and the Mountain Dew Tour. Changing his focus to backcountry in recent years, Wyatt received his Avalanche Level 2 certification and is a Wilderness First Responder.

To learn more about the Eddie Bauer First Ascent, visit www.eddiebauer.com. Follow First Ascent sponsored expeditions on the Born Out There Blog at http://blog.firstascent.com.  

About Eddie Bauer

Established in 1920 in Seattle, Eddie Bauer is a specialty retailer that sells sportswear, outerwear, gear and accessories for the active outdoor lifestyle. The Eddie Bauer brand is a nationally recognized brand that stands for high quality, innovation, style and customer service. Eddie Bauer products are available at approximately 353 stores throughout the United States and Canada, through catalog sales and online at www.eddiebauer.com. Eddie Bauer is proud to be named a J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion and is only one of 40 companies so named in the U.S.

Contact: Sarah Hubbard, +1-307-733-3065, [email protected]

SOURCE Eddie Bauer