JanSport revealed that all fifteen of the participants on its 38th annual Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI) Seminar, June 12-16 in Ashford, WA reached the summit of Mt. Rainier on Tuesday, June 16 at 6:30 a.m. The five-day summit climb, led by senior RMI guide Casey Grom, Paul Edgren, and three other RMI guiding experts, featured an eclectic mix of participants including JanSport and VF employees, field sales representatives, JanSport outdoor industry and collegiate bookstore partners, the Associate Editor of Backpacker magazine and the winner of the 2008 8,000 Meter Challenge held annually in Southern California.


The 2009 JanSport RMI Seminar introduced many new climbers to the world of alpine mountaineering, hiking nearly 4.5 miles and 3,000 vertical feet, from Paradise (5,400 feet) to Camp Muir (10,060 feet), and then continuing on to Mt. Rainier’s famed 14,410 foot Columbia Crest, creating memories and forging friendships that will last a lifetime.


The 2009 JanSport climbers included:
1.  Natalie Carr from REI Arcadia, winner of the 2008 8,000 Meter Challenge
2.  Dean Fusco, Vice President, Operations for VF Outdoor and Action Sports
3. Steve Eaves, VF/Majestic Sales Director
4. Shannon Davis, Associate Editor for Backpacker magazine
5.  Dave Baker, from JanSport retail partner Summit Hut
6. Jay Allen, from JanSport retail partner Northern Lights Trading
7. Jeremy Cole, from JanSport retail partner US Outdoor
8.  Paul Wright, Assistant Manager at Northern Michigan University
9.  Ken Sharbaugh, Buyer at Indiana University
10. Christo Kuzmich, from JanSport retail partner Adventure 16
11.  Rick Saez, JanSport Product Line Manager – Outdoor
12.  Josh Fabio, JanSport Collegiate Sales Rep
13. John McGuire, JanSport Equipment Designer – Outdoor
14.  Lance Wiser, JanSport Sales Coordinator
15.  Florence Saussol, Head of JanSport UK Customer Service


“Rainier is an awesome mountain to climb,” says Rick Saez, senior product manager for JanSport. The RMI guides did a fabulous job, we had a great team, and we were fortunate to get a clear weather window.” “I'm honored to be one of the members carrying on the 38 year tradition of the JanSport Rainier Dealer Climb.”