A Himalayan expedition for disabled veterans and climbers? Right on! Benchmade Knife Company is sponsoring “Soldiers to the Summit,” an extreme mountain climbing expedition of expert climbers and wounded combat veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The climb is organized by World TEAM Sports, a non-profit organization that supports disabled athletes through team athletic events.
The team includes 12 injured soldiers and 10 expert climbers, including Erik Weihenmayer, the first and only blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The team will attempt to climb the 20,075 foot Lobuche East, a technical snow and ice climb in the shadow of Mount Everest. The expedition will take place for 20 days from October 2nd through October 21st.
“Benchmade is proud to support these wounded warriors and climbers embarking on this incredible journey,” says Rob Morrison, Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning for Benchmade Knife Company. “This is a wonderful cause and we are glad that the soldiers and climbers will be using our knives during their expedition.”
Each soldier and climber has been outfitted with a model 940SBK folding knife that has been personalized with a customer laser mark. This is the second time that Benchmade has supported Erik Weihenmayer who first reached the summit of Mount Everest in 2001, also with a model 940SBK in hand.
For more information on the “Soldiers to the Summit,” visit their website and follow the expedition at: http://soldierstothesummit.org/.
