MWV Ice Fest Silent Auction Funds Kismet Student Scholarships; Intern Endowment Fund Established

Thanks to the generosity of local business IMCS/IME for making Kismet Rock Foundation the beneficiary once again of the Friday night silent auction proceeds at the ICE FEST. The evening included a slide show by world-class climber Steve House as well as a dry tool competition. The event was emceed by Freddie Wilkinson (who some argued can actually get away with wearing neon lycra tights in public).

Many thanks to Anne Skidmore for use of these images

Kismet Rock Foundation volunteers MIKE LACKMAN, PHIL THALHEIMER, NICKIE SEKERA and board member BRIAN POST worked the silent auction tables and were on hand to answer questions about the organization.

Quality climbing hardware and soft goods were donated to the silent auction, which raised more than $1,700  for the Kismet student scholarship fund.  Thank you to those sponsors: JULBO, ICEHOLDZ, LOWA, OUTDOOR RESEARCH, PRINCETON TEC, ASOLO, PETZL CHARLET, SCARPA, MAMMUT, MOUNTAIN  HARDWEAR, PATAGONIA, LA SPORTIVA, and BLACK DIAMOND.

Adding to an already memorable evening, Jim Shimberg, a longtime friend of Kismet, presented a check for $2,500 to establish a KISMET INTERN ENDOWMENT FUND, in memory of Jonny Copp, Micah Dash and Wade Johnson. Jim ‘passed the hat’ for nearly a year, collecting contributions from $1 up to $500 to create the fund. Kismet is honored to carry on the memories of those three men who were so loved and are so missed with this very special fund for Kismet graduates.

Contact Kismet to learn more about the fund.

Our gratitude and appreciation goes out to Ice Fest event directors Sarah Garlick and Anne Skidmore for a successful weekend, and of course to Rick Wilcox and Brad White of IME/IMCS for making the event possible.

2010 Mountain Hardwear’s Send a Kid to Camp Program

Mountain Hardwear has again generously included Kismet Rock Foundation and nine other nonprofit organizations in their 2010 Send a Kid to Camp Program!

Its simple: Now through April 15 simply visit their Mountain Hardwear Gives Back page and click on the Send a Kid to Camp button.

For every click to the Send a Kid to Camp button, Mountain Hardwear will donate $1 towards this program up to a total of $40,000. Help us spread the word. Between now and April 15th, you and your friends can click to Send a Kid to Camp. Don’t forget to return every day to click and show your support! Thanks so much to the folks at Mountain Hardwear for this great opportunity!

Caliente! Food

The art of dining well is no slight art, the pleasure not a slight pleasure. -Michel de Montaigne

One of my favorite things about living in the Mount Washington Valley is the ample selection of great, independently owned restaurants. I consider them one of the Valley’s finest assets, after all, who doesn’t like food?

It seems there is always a place to go depending upon my taste for the day; I’ve found myself at the Bangkok Cafe more times than I count after a day of climbing. Or at Chef’s Market for lunch and Flatbread for a little post-work social hour and some healthy, organic flatbread pizzas. It’s a wonder I even make to the grocery store sometimes. You can imagine how pleased I was when I found out the above mentioned will be providing some signature hors d’oeuvres for Caliente!

They aren’t the only ones though, the often bustling May Kelley’s and Delaney’s Hole in the Wall will be there. And to beat the November cold, Frontside Grind will be providing coffee (arguably the best in town) and the award winning, ever-popular White Mountain Cider Company will have hot cider and doughnuts on hand.

The Shannon Door pub and Wildcat Inn & Tavern (with assistance from Horsefeathers) will be contributing a great selection of appetizers from the Jackson side of the Mount Washington Valley.

But could it really be Caliente! without some south-of-the-border flair? Nope, so of course Conway’s Cafe Noche will be there for all of you who prefer a little spice in your life. I hope you will join us for Caliente! and share in the experience of enjoying some of the best food the Mount Washington Valley has to offer.

Shaunna Richard – Kismet Event Coordinator

October 28, New food news: Look for tasty treats from the Shovel Handle Pub and Whitney’s Inn in Jackson…and some homemade items from Kismet volunteer chefs and bakers, including a birthday cake for Kismet (10 years old this year!), sushi, and a secret pumpkin flavored dessert that involves cream cheese filling.

Many MANY thanks to Anne Skidmore and the rest of our amazing events committee for getting out there to rally all of this wonderful food for you to eat on November 7 at Caliente!

Polartec® and Caliente!

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Not far from here in Lawrence, Mass, Polartec® invented the world’s first synthetic fleece fabric in 1981. Polartec® fleece was eventually recognized by Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of the century, and today virtually every outdoors-person has a collection of Polartec® fleece garments in their closet: hats, gloves, vests, jackets, pants and more.

Polartec® is more than just fleece though! Polartec® fabrics range from lightweight wicking base layers, to insulation layers, to extreme weather protection and are utilized by all the best clothing brands in the world. Polartec® fabrics are also used by all branches of the United States military including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces.

Polartec® is taking innovative strides toward becoming green as well. In 2009, over 30% of Polartec®’s total production will be fabrics created from post-consumer and post-industrial recycled materials. Take a tour of the Lawrence plant and you will see state of the art production procedures that are safe, healthy and environmentally friendly too. And it is the norm to meet folks who been working there 10, 20…even 30 or more years.

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Polartec® is also dedicated to a variety of social causes and community organizations. “Polartec is proud to support groups like Kismet, which helps to educate and inspire young people through outdoor sports like rock climbing,” states Polartec’s director of global marketing, Nate Simmons. “This is a terrific opportunity to give a little something back to a wonderful local organization.”

Ruthann Brown of Polartec®, is a key member of the Kismet events committee, and has been instrumental in the Caliente! planning.

We are so thankful to Polartec® for supporting Kismet as Caliente!’s presenting sponsor. Learn more about Polartec® on its website, www.polartec.com or its blog, www.justazipper.com.

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