Seth Anderson of Grand Junction-based Loki Gear puts a difference weave on #PUSHTHEEDGE.
Lots of organizations understand the benefit of the charitable contribution in marketing, but Loki Gear really pushes the edge.
Five years ago, MAD Racing Colorado stormed the Grand Valley with never-before-seen, professional races, and Seth Anderson of Loki Gear realized the value right away. He jumped aboard as one of MAD Racing Colorado’s very first sponsors, donating his brilliantly designed All in One Tech hats as prizes for race winners.
But last year, Seth really pushed the edge when he donated two of his Meta Snowsports All-in-One jackets to Katherine Robinson and her husband Max for their fundraiser volcano climb in Ecuador. Katherine works as MAD Racing Colorado’s right hand lady, marketing, running the office, and helping to organize MAD races. Last year, she and Max agreed to help the charity Beyond the Giant in their fight against child trafficking in Nepal, but neither had the gear they needed. Katherine writes:
“We planned to climb four volcanoes in Ecuador within two weeks. The highest of the volcanoes was Chimborazo at 20,701 ft. Max and I had no mountaineering experience and lacked all the gear to do so. Loki sponsored our climb by providing us with their famous loader jacket, and we could not be more stoked! These coats are not cheap, and we were able to cross an essential part of gear off our list. Little did we know the quality of the equipment we received.
“Each climb started at a refuge at around midnight. We had to summit each climb by at least 7 AM before the sun came out and began to melt the glacier. The wind was howling outside, and temps were below zero degrees. We would eat a quick breakfast, strategically pack our gear, and bundle up. We packed our water close to our bodies so it would not freeze during the 7-hour push to the summit. Next, we would force the doors open into the dark unknown. Within an hour, a layer of ice formed on top of all our clothes. By the time the summits were reached the on switch on our headlamps were frozen on and we could not push the button to turn them off. Our guides would lecture us about not losing our gloves and threatened that a lost glove would be an automatic turn around.
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- Katherine, Max and their guide on the summit of the Cayambe volcano at 18,996 ft., toasty warm in their Loki jackets.
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- Climbing as a fundraiser for Beyond the Giant, Katherine, Max and their guide reached the Cayambe summit after a seven-hour overnight climb, beginning at midnight. Night climbing ensures the ice is firm and safe.
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- The gang watching the sunrise from the summit of the Cotopaxi volcano at 19,347 ft. The climb took six hours.
“I describe the effect of these bitter temperatures all to say the only material Max and I had on to keep our core warm was a t-shirt and our Loki coats, and at times we were sweating. I quickly understood the convenience of the built-in mittens, a patented design in all Loki gear, because I did not have to worry about losing my gloves when it came time to take them off and put on my crampons. Plus the internal heat from my core when the gloves were on kept my hands nice and toasty. After this trip, I became a true believer in the convenience and quality of Loki. Not only did they sponsor our climb, but Loki gave us a reliable piece of gear that is truly priceless.”
Katherine isn’t sure how much money the Beyond the Giant fundraiser earned, but she is proud to help Nepalese girls and women break free of trafficking.
Seth Anderson has donated hundreds of All-in-One Tech hats to MAD Racing Colorado patrons and students of Juniper Ridge Community School.
MAD Racing Colorado salutes Seth Anderson, not only for creating exemplary gear, for his generous support of MAD Racing Colorado patrons and staff. Seth, you’re amazing!
Have you been the recipient of Seth’s generosity? Did you receive a Loki hat at a MAD Racing Colorado event? Tell us about your experience and write your tributes to Seth, below.
