Well, this year at the Leadville 100 started beautifully! Brian felt very strong after all his time at altitude in Pakistan, so he was ready to take on the course! Unfortunately, the race did to continue as well. Brian broke his ankle hiking into K2 basecamp this summer, and without a proper set, it was not ready to handle the running abuse. At mile 24 (the fish hatchery), he had to call it quits for this year, warranting himself a walking cast for the last 6 weeks! Hopefully the doc will get his ankle fixed and all will be on task for next summer: the hostile takeover of the Leadville 100 by AAO...Anton who?
Sunday and I did take a minute to drink in the beautiful sunrise coming up over sleepy Leadville.

Between the last aid station and this one, Brian lost his shirt and 40 pounds! No, this is not Brian. This is Anton Krupicka, a.k.a. Jesus, the second time first place winner of the Leadville 100. This guy is an animal, finishing in 16:14:35, a whole 3 hours before anyone else came in!
This year at the race, we had a few more friends to talk to! Peter Grimes, the Montrail rep before we were, and his lovely wife Jen were out, giving the race their all.
This is Pete's friend Joel, who also gave it the old varsity try. They will be making a play for a 50 mile run here in just a few weeks. Good luck guys!
Jen provided excellent crewing...but terrible Hope Pass got these guys as well. Next year will be the triumphant tour de force of Midwest runners!!

What does one do at a time like this? Surround yourself with friends and vicodine, of course! Party on the lawn! What's that you say? it still hurts? Well then, add some whiskey! Brilliant!
Here comes Kyle up the fish hatchery! See Kyle. See Kyle Run. Run Kyle Run! Our boy made a smashing play for the finish again this year, but he and a group of about 10 guys found themselves off course at one point and thus, missed the cut-off and were disqualified.

But Kyle, what is that you are carrying? The Marmot Kompressor? Yes it is...the latest in fall fashion, the Kompressor is once again hot on the scene with its lightweight, minimal design and easy functionality...perfect for a hydration pack, small personal items, or an upgraded compression sack for your sleeping bag. Kyle, you stylish devil!

Alas, it will once again be "next year" that is course is conquered and both heros return to Iowa victorious. As for now, this is Vanessa Hohn, signing off and wishing you all champaign wishes and caviar dreams!

The dZi foundation is a very unique organization that was created by two avid climbers who were compelled to give back to the people in the places they had climbed in for so many years. These cultures were so giving and wonderful, but needed help.
Jim Nowak started the dZi Foundation to create sustainable programs to offer things like dental and medical care, education and nutrition to regions in the Himalayas. One thing that makes the organization so unique is their small overhead- with low administrative and fundraising costs, this humanitarian cause gets straight to the heart of the issues, and gives help directly at the source.
Marmot has long recognized the benefit of this organization and matches any donations given toward their operation and execution costs.


This fall, AAO is offering a unique opportunity for your store to get involved in this great project. Brian is currently putting together a slide show of his trip to K2 from this past summer that we will be touring around the territory this clinic season. This slide show presentation can either be set up as an in-store show for staff only or a formal customer base show. Either way, we are asking a minimum $5 donation that will be sent into the dZi Foundation and backed by Marmot, to further raise awareness and funds for this great cause.
If your store is interested in participating in this opportunity, please email Vanessa at vanessa@goaao.com so we can get you set up with a time and a marketing kit to make this a very successful and educational fundraiser.
For more information on the dZi foundation, visit http://www.dzifoundation.org/ or http://www.marmot.com/.

After a full and long week in Salt Lake City at OR, we took some time in Colorado while Brian did a little training for the Leadville 100. Once of those training days we climbed up to Sky Pond, a gorgeous glacial run-off pond in Estes Park. Just CLICK on the album to see all the images!

i just can't wait to get on the course again...and wait we didn't. Humid 98 degree day be damned! We are Iowans, for heaven's sake, and there is a game to be played. Upon Brian's return from Pakistan, the Adel clan decided to take Brian out to the famous Winterset course. The day was hot, the competition was fierce...but the beers were flowing and the fun was too!
Ladies and gentlemen...start your engines. The team lines were drawn...Sunday and Howard against Sue, Brian and Vanessa...oh the tension, you could cut it with a knife!
Knock off the competition at the first hole? What? Just some innocent practice swings to get the ol' golf game back. Not much golf at 7000m.
And as usual, a strange face from me, no normal pictures are ever captured of me...but wait...are those Zeal sunglasses i am wearing? Why yes, yes they are! That fantastic ZB-13 lens must be what improved my game that day.

Wiley and cunning, the other team tried to seduce ideas of a hostile takeover out of our heads, but do not be fooled. Behind those beautiful pearly whites are not sweet intentioned golfers, nay, they are the criminal minds of Adel at work. These two crafty tricksters play the good sportsmen...while they plan a plot so dubious, it would not be a fitting bit of fiction here...
Look at that form! The Dad takes his best shot...i believe this ball mysteriously went missing...interesting ploy. The plot thickens.
Our fearless leader finds his game again on the course at Winterset on this liquefying day in Iowa. With master craftsmanship...he chooses his path, ever so softly checks the wind, and then...gives the ball something to write home about.
The silent expert, Sunday, with little experience and practice has taken "beginner" to a new level. In a few short games she has become the phenom of our little clan, with steadied hand and great precision, she slices the ball with a soft expertise only someone who has studied can master.

The daylight was fading, but our spirits were high and happy. Here is Sue, the one hit wonder. Sue has mastered the fine art of walking up to the ball, determination and style abounding, and hit the living daylights out of the thing. This classy golf shark plays down her game the entire time, making sure everyone is cared for and comfortable...then, BAM! Knocks that ball straight down the green with such force that the little divot on the ball jump.
But the other team doesn't stand a chance staying mad at this sweetheart, just look at that smile!
Ladies and gentlemen, in a show of intimidation and force, Brian allowed all of you a free ticket...to the gun show. Yes, free tickets to the gun show...ladies, ladies, calm down. Even with his diminished climbers body, he is a force to be reckoned with...i will pause for the screaming to stop.
The Block men, sharing stories about Pakistan, golf tips...mutiny perhaps? It is hard to say as we did not even finish a 9 hole game-the darkness caught us. Only a rematch will determine a winner here...and a rematch there will be!!

Hey all, can you believe just how fast the summer has passed by?!! Seemed like just yesterday i was relishing the opportunity to get out of the winter clothing, was back for 2 months and now am sweltering in the Midwest heat! Hopefully your summer was as productive and rewarding as mine. Sometimes measuring "success" can be difficult...many options. This summer was definitely an exercise in deciphering what success means to me.
With the support of Sunday and Vanessa i was able to take up an invitation to join a group of fantastic climbers on an attempt of K2 in the Karakorum region in Pakistan. Our route of focus was/is (as 9 of 10 climbers are still in Pakistan working on the route as the Monsoon season sets in)- the Cesan route or the SE Spur.
K2, the Mountaineers Mountain, was definitely all that it was made out to be! Massive, foreboding, technical and lots of avalanches! What a great experience!
Look for more info and pics of the trip in regular installments! We will be contacting you all shortly about clinicing scheduling and an upcoming slide series i have planned! Have a great day!~B. Block

Here it comes! Outdoor Retailer is less than 2 weeks away! I have most of you scheduled, but if we do not have an appointment with you yet and you would like one, please contact Vanessa (vanessa@goaao.com). I would love to schedule with you! Look forward to seeing you all at OR! Also, we have various events that our vendors will be throwing, stop by the Marmot booth and grab your goody bag (water, fruit, granola, etc) and grab a schedule of events! We would love to see you at OR!!

Ames Adventure Outfitters has the distinct pleasure of hosting our Mission Playground Sales manager out to our Headquarters to learn about the line and had a bit of golf on the side. Now, Sunday and i have just started to learn the game this summer, so it is something quite new to us. But Howard (Brian's dad), Sue (his mom) and Mark all are old pros. The day was HOT, the course was empty and we had a blast!
Sunday, Sue and Mark holding down their team cart in our "best shot" game. Notice Mark's very nice Spring 08 Mission Playground shirt? Please, come see us at OR so we can show you the rest of the line...:)
This is my documenting golf shot...how artistic...
And finally, these guys just lined up like this on the green, i thought it was very picturesque.

well, team AAO all has our own personal style as well as a personal golf level. Here, Howard is displaying an easy summer fashion with a lightweight polo and calssic khaki golf shorts. He is also showing is game winning golf swing...look at that follow through!
Sunday has chosen a classic style as well with a cool white ribbed tank and khaki capris. She is showing her driver skills off the fourth hole...lookin good, Sunday!
Sue has gone for a more modern look with a knit tank and cool khaki shorts..a truly great choice for the amazingly warm day. She also shows off her unexpected golf swing...without a practice swing, Sue often hits with as much style and length as the boys!
Being as though i am new to golf, i decided that a "golf outfit" was in order. I say, whenever you can fit in an outfit, you should! So i am wearing white knee length knickers, a green polo and some amazingly bright hot pink and lime Kangaroos...with a plaid ribboned golf hat, of course! The hit is not going going to be commented on...

What is this little button, Vanessa? Why, it is a way for you to eliminate your carbon footprint if you are traveling to the Outdoor Retailer Expo in Salt Lake City...which you are...because we live in the Midwest! Just click on the OR link to the right and it will take you to the homepage where you can calculate your carbon footprint and pay it forward. You can't really click on the link here to get to the calculator though, i am not that Internet savvy. And i stole this graphic from their site...hence the click part:). But the link works!

Now, down to business! It is time to start scheduling appointments for OR! I will be starting the email requests this week, followed by calling in the next few weeks, but if you have a time and would like to schedule now, please do not hesitate to send me your request! We are almost completely wide open at this time, so you could have almost any time you want! And this is not just for OR, if the Madison trade show is more your cup of tea...just send a time for that!

We will also have our Zeal sales manager there to tell you all about this great line we picked up last year. A truly amazing Women's Performance Optics company that opened its offering to Men as well...all with the incredible ZB-13 lens-a nearly transitional polarized lens with incredible versatility! With women's specialty climbing to new heights, isn't it time you had an optics company to keep up?

We also have a new line, Mission Playground, that you all should have received an email blast about this week. There is info posted below with a company history. We would love to schedule you to see this line as well!! Contact Vanessa today-vanessa@goaao.com. Thanks, have a great day-it is almost the weekend!!

We are very pleased to announce a new line to Ames Adventure Outfitters: Mission Playground! They are a great eco-conscious sportswear line that not only uses sustainable fabrics, but also contributes to sustainable causes and uses graphic messaging to spread the eco message. Below is a bit of the company history to give you the full scoop. We would love to schedule an appointment for you at OR or Madison to see our newest line! If you want to peek at some designs now, check out the website at http://www.missionplayground.com/.

Mission Playground-

"Mission Playground was established in the spring of 2003 to promote awareness for the environment. The intention was to make people think, because thought creates awareness and when we are aware we make better decisions. Mission Playground also wants to encourage people of all ages to become more conscious of the environment so that we and future generations will continue to have the opportunity to enjoy it.

The Earth is our playground, our mission is to preserve it defines what we are trying to achieve in all aspects of our operations. From design to production to distribution we are committed to approaching these processes with the impact of the environment our priority.

In 2005, Mission Playground launched a program called S.E.E.D. (sustainable environment and educational development) for which 1% of all sales are set aside in order to support non-profit organizations that share the same passions as we do for the playground.

S.E.E.D. (Sustainable Environment & Educational Division), launched in Spring 05’, is a program designed to give back to the Environment. 1% of the sales of Mission Playground will be pledged to non-profit organizations that are truly making a difference in sustaining the Environment for future generations.

Mission Playground is innovative, cutting-edge and conscious about spreading awareness. In an industry that defines itself by these characteristics, no company has ever taken the step to create awareness and respect for the playground until now!

Mission Playground was created to do many things, but most importantly it was designed to tell a story, share a passion and create thought. In a world of branding, Mission Playground is certainly a brand but what we are branding is awareness for the environment. The idea and execution of Mission Playground was simply to bring something fresh and innovative into a market that has grown stale and conservative.

We are a collective group of people that are committed to designing, producing and delivering a product as conscious and sustainable as possible. We also understand the importance of bringing a product to market that has value at a marketable price. The organic or sustainable world is not a perfect world and will never be, but we certainly make every effort to watch our impact and bring the best product we can to the market.

Mission Playground designs men’s, women’s and kid’s lifestyle apparel with an offering that runs the gamut from head to toe. From Organic cotton t-shirts and recycled rubber flip flops to Organic denim jeans and Organic cotton/ recycled polyester and spandex woven’s. We are constantly seeking the most innovative and unique fabrications and designs to continue to set us apart and be the company others follow.

The Mission

The Earth is our playground, our mission is to preserve it. Mission Playground’s approach is to create awareness through our environmentally conscious and globally mindful designs. We do this by using sustainable materials whenever and wherever possible. With ongoing research and new fabrications appearing all the time, we promise to do the best we can to incorporate our findings. This is not a perfect evolution but we are getting better all the time and we want to thank you for your continued support. May you find the path ahead unpaved and the beauty unparalleled."

7 cities in 5 days? i think so! It was the jet-setting rockstar lifestyle for 2/3 of team AAO this week as Sunday and Vanessa took to the road for a crazy preshow early write show tour! With a quick jaunt up to Marquette, MI for the start of the week, each day brought a new town and more people crazy about the line. Madison, Minneapolis, Fargo, and finally Omaha. Whew...what a week!
Sunday and Jeremy from Canfields' checking out the line! Yeah, Friday night in Omaha was our last stop and man, we were ready to be off the road! If we didn't get a chance to see you on the tour, hopefully we can see you coming up at OR or Madison. I will be calling soon to schedule, but it is never too early. if you know a time you are interested in now, just email it to vanessa@goaao.com and i would be happy to get you signed up!