GORE ANNOUNCES SHIPTON/TILMAN GRANT RECIPIENTS FOR 2006

Teams receive funding from Gore to reach into the wild and experience the unknown firsthand

(ELKTON, MD - May 1, 2006) There are special people in the world, men and women who refuse to allow generations of past exploration and advances in technology to curtail their sense of adventure. In a time when you can call up an aerial photograph of any location in the world to a computer desktop, these modern explorers still cherish the act of standing on a summit or trolling uncharted waters.

To help teams venture out into the unknown, W.L. Gore and Associates, inventors of GORE-TEX® fabric, is once again awarding grants totaling $30,000 to help finance far-reaching expeditions. These funds will make expeditions possible for people who recognize the need to canvass the world—especially in the Internet age of second hand experiences.

The annual Shipton/Tilman Grant program was established by Gore as a tribute to the spirit of adventure embodied by Eric Shipton (b. 1907) and Bill Tilman (b. 1897). The annual program provides funds to be divided among three to six expeditions that are most in harmony with Shipton and Tilman's philosophies.

Arguably the greatest adventurers of this past century, Shipton and Tilman inspired many outdoor enthusiasts to push themselves to their limits and follow their dreams. They believed in traveling in small, compact teams, unburdened by porters and excessive bulk. This spirit is alive in the 2006 award winners as they plan expeditions to Pakistan, Peru, Arctic Quebec and beyond.

“This year’s winners show a great range of size and scope, from simple school teachers to Cambridge University legends to international experts,” said GORE-TEX® brand manager, Steve Shuster. “It demonstrates that with the right gear, passion, sense of purpose and backing, mankind can continue to explore the parts of the earth that call out to our spirit of adventure.”

This year five projects were chosen to receive financial contributions.

Cambridge University East Greenland Expedition, awarded $5,000
With the endorsement of Sir Ranulph Finnies, the world’s greatest living explorer, and the legacy of global exploration at Cambridge University, this team begins its expedition to Greenland’s Schweizerland Alps poised for great success. East Greenland is among the most unspoiled regions in the world, inhabited only by fewer than 3,500 people across 1,457,000 km2 (905,000 miles2). Team Leader Mark Reid heads a four-man group of climbers looking to establish new routes on untouched peaks in this beautiful and remote Arctic wilderness. By living unsupported for a month, the expedition team looks to gain valuable experience in polar travel techniques without upsetting the pristine conditions. By staying in the Inuit settlement of Kulusuk at either end of the expedition, the group will gain insight into the culture of the modern Inuit, while helping to contribute to the economic sustainability of the local community. Upon return to the United Kingdom, the team will produce the definitive mountaineering guide for the Eastern side of the Schweizerland Alps.

The Forgotten Arm: Kayak Exploration of the Patagonia Ice Cap, awarded $6,000
Taking a page from Tillman’s own explorations documented in his book, Mischief in Patagonia, Reg Lake and Grayson Schaffer plan to penetrate and explore the North Arm of Seno Peel, a spur of the Patagonia Ice Cap stretching into the main Chilean shipping routes. The team will be dropped off with a month’s worth of gear and rations in two kayaks at the entrance to an inner fjord. For four weeks in February 2007, the men will navigate and document the three calving glaciers at the outer reaches of the Peel, then move to chart the roughly nine glaciers, completing the first documentation of the greatest concentration of glaciers in the Patagonia Ice Cap. The total anticipated distance kayaked in icy waters during the expedition exceeds 200 miles. Seno Peel is the most remote and most difficult fjord to access and one of the few uncharted regions on the planet.

The McMahon Line Expedition 2007, awarded $7,000
This expedition was previously planned and ready for departure in 2003. However, just prior to setting out, the main financier, team member and driving force behind the project, Canadian John Lecky died suddenly. With renewed energy and focus the team is prepared to begin the first ascent of Nyegi Kangsang (7,000m/23,144 f), the last unclimbed 7,000-meter peak east of Bhutan. The McMahon line refers to the fluctuating border between India and China and bears the name of a former Secretary of the Indian Foreign Department of Great Britain. The physical conditions anticipated during the climb and the political climate in the region make this expedition an extremely ambitious undertaking. Tillman himself traveled in the region and stated, “…of all the Himalaya these are the least explored and it is not difficult to understand why.”

Northern Ungave Canoe Expedition, awarded $4,000
Less than 1,000 miles from Montreal begins Arctic Quebec, or Ungave, an unspoiled wilderness and one of the hemisphere’s last frontiers. A two-man team of secondary school teachers will travel by canoe more than 800 miles exploring the Ungave Peninsula beginning and ending on Hudson Bay. The planned route has never been traveled in its entirety and will test the limits of canoe travel. The team will see more of northern Ungave than any other group, interacting with the local Inuit people and mirroring their techniques for fording the waterways. The Northern Quebec territory is threatened by mining interests and hydroelectric development. A major objective of the expedition is increase public awareness of the richness of the Ungave through lectures and presentations upon return.

Paititi Expedition 2006: Beyond the Pantiacolla Plateau, awarded $3,000
Expedition leader Greg Deyermenjian is considered to be the world’s foremost authority on the archaeology and exploration of the high jungle areas of southeast Peru. In the summer of 2006 he will lead his team into an area of jungle-covered mountains in southeast Peru that is not only unexplored, it is a blank on the map. The team will follow ancient Incan trails to their end, then move deeper into the jungle to determine the farthest reached of the Inca north of their capital city of Cusco. The Pantiacolla Plateau is a vast table that extends and overlooks the Amazon basin. On the Plateau the team will encounter frigid conditions with snow and sleet as well as tropical heat and humidity in the month they will be in the region. A major goal of the expedition is to investigate the legend of Paititi, the fabled ultimate refuge for the Incas and attempt to confirm its existence and location.

Team Light Rack, awarded $5,000
Climbing star Heidi Wirtz and senior contributing editor at Rock & Ice Lizzy Scully have planned an expedition to Pakistan with the goal of establishing the first routes up a series of unclimbed granite pinnacles at the base of Hispar Pass. Additionally, the two-woman team will attempt to free climb one of the established routes on the Ogre’s Thumb (5,500m/18,000f). Time permitting, the women will explore new routes and unclimbed peaks in the region. They will climb alpine style, with minimal equipment and as quickly as possible. Upon return to the United States, the team plans to raise money and awareness for earthquake victims still without basic necessities more than one year later.

About the Shipton-Tilman Grant Program.
Applications are accepted from small, unencumbered teams of friends with daring and imaginative goals. The expedition team must plan to accomplish their feat in a self-propelled, environmentally sound, and cost-effective way.

The application deadline for the Shipton-Tilman Grant is March 1 of each year. A panel of independent judges meets annually in March to review all applications and looks for projects that exemplify the Shipton-Tilman philosophy. Between three and six teams receive a grant ranging from $2000 to $10,000.

About W.L. Gore and Associates.

Perhaps best known for its consumer products like GORE-TEX® fabric and ELIXIR® guitar strings, Gore is a leading manufacturer of thousands of advanced technology products for the electronics, industrial, fabrics and medical markets. The company is headquartered in Newark, Delaware, posts sales of almost $2 billion, and employs more than 7,000 associates at 45 facilities throughout the world.

Contact:
Cynthia Amon
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
410-506-2647
Cell: 443-553-0333
camon@wlgore.com