Women'Sports Wire

(March 28, 2002)

First All-Female American Team
To Scale Mount Everest

IRVINE CA (March 28, 2002) Don't call it impossible, call it a way of life. Inspired by more than 29,000 vertical feet of mountain, harsh weather conditions and extreme danger, five female athletes are adding just one more accolade to their list of accomplishments: climbing Mt. Everest. For Alison Levine, Marjorie Cross, Jody Thompson, Lynn Prebble and Kimberly Clark, becoming the first all-female American team to scale Mount Everest is just another check off the "to do list."

On April 1, this group of women attempting to make history will be aptly named "Team No Boundaries," supported by Ford Motor Company and its "No Boundaries" brand identity, a company committed to supporting individuals and groups who embody this same "boundless" spirit.

Sounds tough? Not for these finely tuned female athletes. These women aren't just training for Everest, their fitness and health routines have become a lifestyle choice. Levine, Cross, Thompson, Prebble and Clark each are extremely fit and workout five to six times a week, including aerobics, running, cycling, skiing and climbing. But, beyond their extreme fitness training, each woman has a personal triumph and story to tell that is what makes them so exceptional.

Team No Boundaries includes:

Alison Levine - 35-year old investment advisor for Goldman Sachs from San Francisco, CA and has been through two heart surgeries. After her second heart surgery, she was climbing in less than 18 months and has successfully scaled the highest peaks on six continents.
Marjorie Cross - 58-year old private consultant in conflict management who is also a grandmother, a breast cancer survivor and diabetic. She has climbed Ixta and Popo in Mexico, the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc du Tacul, the Tour Ronde, Monch and Jungfrau in Europe. If successful, Cross will be the oldest woman to reach the summit at Mt. Everest.
Jody Thompson - 38-year old emergency room nurse and mother. After giving birth to her son, Hans, she was on the trails, bike racing competitively in just three months. She has captained all-women teams in the 24-hours of Moab and 24-hours of Adrenalin mountain bike races. Her previous climbs include Mt. McKinley, Ama Dablam in Nepal and Mt. Rainier.
Lynn Prebble - 49-year old, a director of physical therapy for the Colorado Mental Health Institute has climbed 300 mountains including the Grand Teton, the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc in France and Izraccihuatl in Mexico. She is an inspiration for young women and has taken her lessons from mountain climbing to the community, leading young women on annual hiking and climbing expeditions in the local Colorado area.
Kimberly Clark - 34-year old nursing student and research assistant and the only woman in the history of the Arapahoe Basin 10-hour Enduro skiing race to telemark 59-non-stop runs, adding up to more than 67,000 vertical feet.

Team No Boundaries has already been featured on the Today Show, CNN, ESPN News as well as local broadcast stations and we welcome the opportunity to speak with you further about a possible feature story on these remarkable women. If you are interested in potentially interviewing the women via satellite from Nepal, please feel free to contact me at 949-223-2306.

[Source: Natalie Godhardt, Account Coordinator, Sports Marketing, Hill and Knowlton, Inc., ph: 949-223-2306, fx: 949-752-2130]