Are kids getting further and further away from nature and the outdoors? Many would say “yes”. With the rates of childhood obesity steadily rising we really need to pay attention to this issue. In an attempt to bring awareness to this issue of “Nature Deficit” Coleman has launched the Coleman Everest 5.5 Challange in an attempt to motivate kids to get outside! Denver schoolteacher and mountaineer Mike Haugen, will be departing in May to attempt a summit on Mount Everest. The following is a press release from The Coleman Company that describes this event:

COLEMAN LAUNCHES 2007 COLEMAN EVEREST 5.5 CHALLENGE

Project to Motivate Kids To Get Outside More

WICHITA, Kan. (Jan. 28, 2007) – Faced with the growing number of children who spend more time indoors with electronic devices than they do exploring the outdoor world, coupled with the depressing rates of childhood obesity due to poor eating and exercise habits, The Coleman Company, Inc., makers of outdoor recreation gear, will sponsor a spring 2007 expedition to Mount Everest designed to motivate kids to get outside and recreate more.

The 2007 Coleman Everest 5.5 Challenge will be a major focus of the expedition by Denver schoolteacher and veteran mountaineer Mike Haugen, 30, and will be directed toward American schoolchildren facing the problem of “nature deficit.” Haugen, who also represents Coleman® Exponent® gear as a field tester and ambassador to the outdoor community, will depart Colorado in March for a summit attempt in May.

During training, on the approach, at Everest Base Camp and then higher up the mountain, he will transmit a series of educational e-mails, blogs and videos, posting them to a specially developed Web site – www.colemaneverest.com. Visitors to the site will be able to sign up for regular e-mail updates from Mike, and kids will be invited to submit questions for him to answer.

Schoolchildren nationwide and others who are interested will be able to access the Web site to track Haugen’s progress and learn about the mountain environment and the sport of climbing. Included will be a series of physical activities for kids that will revolve around the 5.5 Challenge theme – corresponding to the exact height of Everest in miles. As the company’s outdoor advocate, Haugen will take part in a nationwide tour of Coleman retailers after his return to meet with schoolchildren who followed his climb and to present a motivational slide presentation on his experience. Haugen will climb Everest as part of a trip organized by International Mountain Guides of Washington state, the organization that answered one of climbing’s greatest mysteries when in 1999 climbers located the body of George Leigh Mallory, lost on Everest in 1924.

“‘Nature deficit’ is a real threat to the health of our children,” said Gary A. Kiedaisch, Coleman President and CEO. “Studies have shown that exposure to nature and being active outdoors may be just the right antidote to an epidemic of obesity and many other problems kids face today. By setting an example in what is arguably the most extreme outdoor adventure on earth, Mike Haugen will motivate young people to learn lifetime outdoor skills early, benefit from those experiences, and create memories that last forever.”