Eddie Bauer will be celebrating its 90th anniversary with a special one-day event on February 27, and with product launches and other events throughout the year, including the launch of its First Ascent ski collection this fall.

In October 2009, the company launched its First Ascent brand of guide-built gear, signaling a return to the company’s mountaineering roots as an expedition outfitter. As with its First Ascent mountaineering line, Eddie Bauer is working with backcountry guides to build and test ski gear and apparel in some of the alpine’s toughest conditions.

The BornOutThere blog at http://blog.firstascent.com shows ski guides and brothers, Reggie and Zach Crist, and extreme skier, Lynsey Dyer, traveling the country in search of conditions to put the gear to the test.

Currently, Eddie Bauer has approximately 364 stores in the United States and Canada, catalog and online businesses.

Founder Eddie Bauer first opened for business in 1920 with “Eddie Bauer’s Tennis Shop,” renting space in a gun shop in downtown Seattle. Within a year he had his own storefront and began serving hunters and fishermen of the Pacific Northwest. He went on to position the chain as a premier expedition outfitter during the golden age of Himalayan mountaineering.

“For the past 90 years, the Eddie Bauer name has meant a lot of things to a lot of people across North America,” said Neil Fiske, President and CEO of Eddie Bauer, in a statement. “This year, we are happy to celebrate the rich history of the company and the man who not only brought quality, outdoors apparel and gear into people’s homes and closets, but also outfitted some of the world’s greatest adventurers.”

An interactive, multimedia timeline is available at www.eddiebauer.com/heritage.